The Secret Circle
by IAmTheRevelation
Summary: When Cassie moved to Chance Harbor, she never expected the things that were thrown at her. She never expected that a group of five crazy kids would drag her into hell nor any of the bad things that would follow. Love, lies, revelations, lust, and Black Magic- Welcome to the Secret Circle
1. Pilot

**Starting up a new Nick/Cassie story! This goes from the beginning of the season all the way out to the end. I've changed things up to make this; Nick and Melissa won't date, Nick certainly doesn't die, and Cassie and Adam never get together. All's right in the world XD! Now as for everything else, it's the same! Don't hate me for this XD.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Secret Circle! Read, Enjoy, and Review, please!**

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_Cassie's P.O.V_

My eyes dart around as if I was a foreigner to this place; nothing was like it was in California. The once year-round warm weather has been traded in for a breezy fall day; the once beautiful ocean lines are now ragged shores with deadly waves crashing against them; the beautiful looking palm trees are now traded for ever-greens and pines. There's nothing the same anymore to me. In front of me sits a light blue house with a bright, cheerful glow to it. It seems like any normal house, but nothing like home was. Not the tan houses that were planted on the beach. A black metal, rugged looking fence is driven into the ground, guarding the house as a simple gate as its opening. Something tells me that this could be a bit weird.

On the porch is a woman with ginger colored hair; she has a sweet smile and big green eyes. She's wearing layers of red and other colors, making her look like her own personal rainbow. That's my grandmother, apparently. Mom hadn't been joking when she said that her mother was always wearing bright colors and always happy. It's odd not seeing my mother anymore; it's like that I expect her to dash out to my car, drag me out, and start questioning me on my day and telling me how much she loves me. And I sit there for about ten minutes, waiting on her to come for me. Only she doesn't come; only my grandmother comes from the porch and offers a smile. I jump out of the car, smiling back. She looked really nice; the bright smile on her face comforted me as Mom's always did. Just like Mom's…

"Cassie, how are you? Oh, I should've came and gotten you," my grandmother chirps, hugging me close to her.

I smile, taking in the smell of her perfume. It was Mom's favorite; she wore it all the time around town at home. Shaking my head, I pull back from the embrace. "No, it's fine, Grandma. I'm so glad I'm here with you."

Grandma laughs gently, putting her hand on my shoulder. "You're so kind, just like Amelia was. Come on, I'll show you to your room. I'm sure you're tired after driving that long trip."

Once again I heard my mother's name. Some ways it comforts me, in others it feels like somebody was piercing my skin with a million needles. It was too painful to hear, other times it was my strongest support. I quickly pick up my duffel bag of clothing I bought a few towns over since everything went down in flames with the fire and the few trinkets that managed to be salvaged from the debris. Following my grandmother upstairs, she leads me into a room. The walls are a beautiful light blue and everything is perfect. In the middle of the room is a bed with a silken cover on it and some much more I wish I could describe.

"This was your mother's room. I'll be downstairs if you need anything, okay? Rest well, dear," my grandmother says, leaving the room happily.

The moment she leaves I reach into my bag, hoping to change into something comfortable and crash for school tomorrow. Sleep was a rarity to me now; constant nightmares plague me every night with the flames consuming my mother slowly, painfully. Hopefully tonight would be a little different for me. I look over to the open curtains, closing them in case anybody tries to peep in on me. The moment I touch the hem of my shirt they sail open, making me jump. In the house across from mine stands a tall, slim looking boy. He has green eyes and dirty blonde hair, a sly smirk on his face. His shirt is unbuttoned, leaving his stone looking abs showing off. I just shake my head, closing them again. Just when I take my shirt off, they sail open again, making me rather frustrated. When I stomp across the room to see how the hell they opened, the boy disappeared. So where did he go?

Confused, I shut them again and pull back the covers. Almost positive that they'd open again, I lay there to watch as I doze off into sleep, hoping that the nightmares wouldn't visit me tonight.

…

_Nick's P.O.V_

I walk down the hallways, rubbing my sleep ridden eyes as I search out the blonde girl I saw last night. No wait, that's an understatement; the girl I _heard _last night. Two or three times last night she woke up screaming her head off, half of the block's lightly turning on along with the wails. As well as my temper flared, but I felt bad for her when she started sobbing for her mother. That left me with about six hours of sleep and a killer headache, but I don't care right now. All I can focus on is her…

"God, Nick! What happened to you?" Melissa Glaser's voice rings behind me, a smirk on her face. "Cassie Blake popped off about three times last night?"

I glare at her, my eyes fiery with some kind of anger. We were never on talking terms after we broke up and it seems that we will never be; she's irritating me to death now since that Blake girl has came into town. Melissa was never this mean to anybody; I wonder what happened to that quiet, soft spoken girl that left me when she couldn't handle it two years ago.

"Melissa, she just lost her mother to a fire. Don't you think she'd be scared like we were?" I ask, looking down at her with hateful eyes. "She's hurting, Glaser. Keep that into consideration."

Melissa just scoffs, rolling her eyes and then looks up at me with her black, sly looking eyes. "Well until you work out a sleep schedule with Orphan don't talk to me! Bye, Nicky!" Melissa calls, running down the hall to her next class.

Sighing, I just walk to my locker slowly. As I do walk, I see a small blonde girl struggling with a lock on her locker, struggling to do the combination and open the door. She has beautiful electric blue eyes, a heart shaped face to match those angelic eyes. That's Cassie Blake; I can tell because of the glare in her eyes that once belonged to Amelia Blake and the other features about her. Cassie has bags under her eyes hidden by makeup, her small body stooped over a little by exhaustion. I really feel bad for her. This might be a chance to get on her good graces list; I heard she just doesn't let anybody in anymore.

"Hey, are you Cassie Blake?" I ask, clearing my throat lightly.

Cassie jumps, looking back at me with her wide blue eyes. She kind of shies away from me, but when I offer her my hand, she takes on a smile of her own. Her hand comes in contact with mine, leaving both of us with a wild blush and I snicker lightly, watching as she blushes a deeper red than I have ever seen.

"Yeah, I'm Cassie. Umm, haven't I seen you before somewhere?" Cassie cocks one of her eyebrows, her eyes locked on mind as I place her hand back at her side.

I smile brightly at her, pushing my blonde hair from my eyes with a quick swipe of my hand. Cassie laughs gently and automatically I see she's just more than cries and screams for her mother at night. She's a vibrant girl with a sweet personality; that's something I haven't seen in a girl.

"My name is Nick Armstrong; also known as the guy in the window," I reply, earning a look of familiarity from her. Cassie nods, taking everything in slowly.

"So you're the one spying on me, huh?" Cassie asks.

My face starts glowing strawberry red, a smile of apology written in with the guilt I have. Watching her seemed almost impossible not to do; also she was changing when I seen her, so I really had to watch then. Cassie just giggles and then looks up at me with her wondering blue eyes.

"I'm more of a Guardian Angel," I answer. "I'm in places where you'd least expect me."

Cassie grins, pointing to her locker and I nod lightly. "Well thank God that you decided to pop in. I'd be late for first period if it hadn't been for you."

"We're gonna be late anyway. You're new, so they're not expecting you to be all on time. As for me, they might get snippy, but I have a beautiful excuse."

Cassie gasps, her face wild with blush. I laugh at her and she playfully hits my shoulder. I smile at Cassie lightly and then turn to her locker to undo the combination. The lock finally comes undone with the combination given and Cassie thanks me, putting her stuff inside and gets her stuff out. I see the top of a chemistry book and I grin, knowing that she has class with me.

"Now where is room…C13A?" Cassie asks, looking down at her schedule.

"Nothing to worry about, Cass; you have me your first period, too," I say as I smirk at her.

Cassie lets out a sigh of relief, allowing me to walk up beside of her and down the hallway. All the while she has a smile on her face, her body relaxing from its former stressed state. My hand brushes the small of her back, her eyes shooting up with surprise. She flicks my shoulder and I snicker, seeing that the teacher is standing outside of the class room, eyes locked on me.

"Mr. Armstrong, where was you? Playing hooky again?" Mr. Peters asks, glaring at me through his thick, black glasses.

"No, I haven't. This young lady needed some help so I thought I'd give it to her," I reply smugly, gesturing to Cassie who is standing next to me.

Mr. Peters glares at me, his eyes hinted with a bit of disappointment at the idea of me not getting into any trouble. "You have a good excuse, Armstrong. Cassie, why don't you sit with Nick today?"

Cassie nods, following me inside where I get a look from Faye, and then Adam and Diana. I shrug, just looking back down at Cassie with excited eyes. She chatters away about things that I have never had interest in, but they oddly seem more interesting when they come from her mouth. She talks about her life in California, past crushes, and so much more. But when she talks about Amelia, I can tell that it hurts her to. My hand is on her shoulder, stroking the top of it gently.

_Oh, it gets so much better, Cassie, _I think, leading her quietly over to our table. _It only gets better._

…

_Cassie's P.O.V_

Nick stays by my side, his body close to me as we walk to a small restaurant that he wanted to take me out to. He said he'd treat me to lunch and hopefully let me meet some of his friends. With him I know that I'd have a better day more than anything. Nick takes away the pain and the void of losing my mother, and fills the space in my heart where she once lingered. It was a strange feeling more than anything, with him by my side.

"Having a good day so far, Cassie?" Nick asks, smiling down at me. "You really haven't said anything since we left the High School."

I smile back, taking in a deep breath. It was usually more a time to clear my head and think, when I was silent. But I seemed to be studying Nick more than I am thinking about anything. "Yeah, I'm enjoying it. I thought I'd have to fend for myself."

Nick snickers, just shaking his head as he nudges my shoulder playfully. His green eyes are boring into mine, leaving me almost mesmerized with the way he looks. I flick his forearm and he rolls his eyes, shaking his head as his hand is on my shoulder, guiding me inside of the place where a table is filled with a bunch of teenagers. They all look back at us and I feel the need to shy away. Nick places his hand on my back secretly from their sights, stroking it comfortingly; he smiles down at me then takes a seat next to a dark headed boy, pulling me in with him.

"Cassie, these are my friends. That's Faye, the other is Diana, the one beside of her is Melissa, and then the one beside of us is Adam," Nick explains slowly, pointing to each individual at the table with us. "Guys, you've heard about Cass."

Everyone's eyes are on me, making me almost jittery; especially the two dark headed girls. I force a smile and Nick looks at me with gentle eyes, his hand on my shoulder as if to ask what's wrong. I wave the jitteriness off as a panic attack, trying to make sure my voice doesn't crack.

"I'm Diana Meade, nice to meet you Cassie," a brown headed girl says, smiling at me.

I smile back, a genuine smile coming across my face. Finally somebody else I can talk to besides Nick. I can tell she's a nice girl with the sweet smile and gentle eyes. She's a supporter by the looks of it.

"Nice to meet you, too," I say.

Diana smiles brightly, leaving Faye and Melissa rolling their eyes. Nick and Adam glares at the two of them, and then the dark headed boy smiles at me, too. My heart starts pounding wildly, a nervousness spreading through me crazily. Nick looks down at me, the corners of his lips turning up slightly as if to smile at me, too. My gaze diverts down to my phone and I see I have a text from my grandmother, asking where I am. It's the perfect chance to escape this place.

"Cass, you okay?" Nick asks, his hand stroking my left shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm just a little overwhelmed today. My grandmother needs me home, so I think I'll go. See you later, okay?" I reply, silently moving from my seat.

Nick's eyes are filling with worriedness and he is reaching out to take my hand. Before he can grab I walk quickly to the doors, looking out to find my car. My eyes divert to see them looking at me and I just shake my head, finally running to my car quickly. I step inside the car, quickly putting the keys into ignition. I've gotta get out of here.

…

_Nick's P.O.V_

Cassie. Just. Left. My eyes divert to Faye and Melissa, watching their glares at Cassie. Diana and Adam are giving them identical glares, tension rising between us as we look around. Faye just shrugs and then stands up, looking out at Cassie. Melissa follows and I watch as Faye slowly relaxes at something, the low hum of her magic flaring slowly like she's gonna use it.

"Faye, what are you doing?" I ask, watching her slowly.

She turns back to me, her feline green eyes showing evilness in them. My eyes shoot up and I can hear Adam behind me, trying to talk Faye out of her plan or whatever she's up to.

"Please don't, Faye," Adam says, looking at her with pleading eyes.

I watch the mischievous glare in her eyes become rather more wondering and more teasing, her lips forming words out. "I just want to see if she knows."

She wants to see if Cassie knows she is a witch, that is. My eyebrows shoot up and I start forward a little ways until I see Faye tremor with power and she smirks wildly. I fill with terror when I see that Faye has set Cassie's car on fire, my body reacting as if to think about what to do. Faye looks irritated with Cassie, her brow setting into a feeling of anger.

"C'mon, put the fire out," Faye says, watching as Cassie fights to get out of the car. "Cassie, put it out!"

Even though they can't hear her screams, I can. I can hear her begging for somebody to come and save her, panic running through her like a streaming river. She's afraid she'll die like her mother. She's afraid that nobody will hear her screams. My body twists and turns through the tables and the swarming people, busting through the doors quickly as I run to her car. The moment Cassie sees me, she starts beating on the window, screaming violently as tears stream down her face. Pulling on the car door, it doesn't open and I see that the insides are locked and even Cassie can't open the door. With a rock the window breaks and I reach inside, yanking her out when I'm able to open the door. I scoop her into my arms, her screams subsiding and slowly turn into panicked breaths and hysterical sobs.

"It's okay, you're okay," I whisper to her, watching as her electric blue eyes fill with pain.

Cassie shakes her head, burying her head into the hollow of my neck as she whimpers. I look back at Faye who is wide eyed, watching as I stroke Cassie's back as she clings to me like a life line. Glaring at her, I wordlessly walk Cassie over to my car, putting her inside as I let her cry.

…

She was silent as I drove to the small wooden house on an old road, normally the Circle's favorite club house. Everyone followed in suit, even Faye who was more scared than sorry. Cassie's body is unmoving, her face paler than a bed sheet as I look between her and the road. I don't dare touch her; she needs to be left alone. Cassie looks at me, too. Her eyes are slightly red from crying, her body starting to shake.

"You're okay, Cass," I whisper. "The car just flipped out."

Cassie nods, her body relaxing slowly. I smile down at her, watching as she leans against the seat. Silence holds us again until Cassie starts humming a song under her breath, her eyes closed tight as she clutches the side of the door handle in her hand.

_Dah-dah-dah-dah_

_Dah-dah-dah-dah_

_Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah_

Her face has a content look about it, the song bringing her comfort slowly and she relaxes against the seat of the car and her hand lets go of the car's handle on the door. I smile at her lightly, seeing that she's content but somewhat terrified. Stroking her shoulder gently, Cassie looks over at me with peaceful eyes. I squeeze her hand gently and then Cassie applies the pressure as I pull into the driveway to the Abandoned House. Adam's car is already here, sitting in the driveway. Diana is climbing out of the passenger's side of the car, Adam standing on the porch to watch for anybody else. My eyes divert to Cassie, watching as she becomes nervous again.

"Hey, you're okay," I tell her comfortingly.

She nods, somehow still clasping my hand and I watching as she keeps her fingers interlaced through mine. My heart literally skips a beat, my stomach doing aerobics within me. What is it with me and her right now? The feelings are just piling up slowly and I can't keep hiding that from her for a while. Besides, I'm not ready for a relationship myself; Melissa degrading me of any confidence with girls when she dumped me at a school dance two years ago. And Cassie just lost her mother and all of her walls have been broken down. I'm not getting her when she's at her weakest and most vulnerable point; I'm not taking advantage of her like that.

Finally able to get out, Cassie stays close by my side as we walk inside. Everybody is sitting on the old furniture, reading books or looking over the Spells we managed to dig up in our parents' attics. I jump up, looking down at Cassie. She'll thing we're completely insane if she sees those. Luckily she pays no attention, but I watch as Faye walks up to us.

And then she dishes the big secret. We're witches.

"Okay, I'm just being straight forward! We're witches, so are you! We form a Circle, and you are our sixth member!" Faye says, looking at Cassie with wide eyes.

Cassie just backs away, shaking her head. Her blonde curls bob up and down as she walks backwards. She's scared for some odd reason, but the glare in her eyes just says she thinks were all crazy.

"Witches don't even exist! You're all just freaking crazy!" Cassie exclaims, running for the door quickly.

"No, Cassie wait. Let me explain!" I call out to her. "You don't understand!"

I don't get any reply; all I get is the clanking of her feet on the floor as she dashes for the front door and the slam of it, too. I look back at Faye hatefully and she shrugs, just smiling like she didn't do anything wrong. I run for Cassie the second time today, listening for the breaking of leaves and her sobs that could lead me to her. I finally find her in the middle of the woods, standing alone and is surrounded by trees. When she sees me her electric eyes are full of panic, but she freezes in place.

"Cassie, listen to me, please," I beg, running to her.

"Why should I? You all are crazy!" Cassie exclaims, jerking back from me.

I take her hands in my own, holding them to me gently as I bend down to pick up a leaf and then place it in our palms. My eyes pierce hers, seeing she's scared and confused more than anything in the world right now. I offer her a smile and then take in a deep breath.

"Cassie, trust me. Do what I do. Breathe in slowly. Then let it all out. Feel the energy course through you, and let it merge with mine," I tell her, watching as her eyes stay locked on mine.

The leaf in the palm of our hand rise up, so does water droplets as they filter around us gently. Cassie looks around us in wonder as if it weren't real, her blue eyes filled with realization. That's when I notice her lips. They're shell pink, the upper lip a little fuller than the bottom one. She's beautiful to me. I lean down lightly, watching Cassie's expression. Then she accepts what I'm doing, leaning in herself. My eyes flutter closed, my lips coming into contact with something soft. The kiss is gentle for the most part, but rather tense with uncertainty from Cassie. She lets out a whimper and pulls away, shaking her head as she turns around.

"I'm sorry, Nick," she says, looking up at me with her tear ridden eyes.

I smile at her and place my hand on her shoulder. I pull her close to me and she accepts it, allowing me to take her home again.

…

Her screams ring through the air, leaving me paralyzed with fear as I lie in my bed, eyes staring at the ceiling. She sobs out her mother's name, screaming for her. Then I hear my name being called out for me to help her, my guilty conscious telling me that I need to go over there. Only I'm not sure she'll have anything to do with me today, or any other time at that. She's messed up enough as it is, and I mean who would want a bunch of crazy kids as friends?

"Nick, please!" Cassie screams, leaving me shaking as I try and doze into sleep.

I curl up on my side, burying my head into my pillow as I let the flames of the nightmares consume me myself.


	2. Bound

**Hey again! Thanks for the reviews last chapter, they meant a lot to me! To those who read the first chapter before I had replaced it, go back and reread it, you'll love it for sure. As for this chapter, I've changed things up a little bit. Episode two was an episode I kinda missed, so the things with Sally Matthews could be a bit different! Here's the next chapter. Read and Review, please!**

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_Nick's P.O.V_

Cassie's screams are still ringing through my mind, each one bounding around in my skull like a sledge hammer crushing it. Each blow is painful and excruciating to me, leaving me weak and feeling dead inside of my body. She screamed for me most of the night, begging me to save her from the fire that her dreams pushed her into. God, I don't know how to help her at all. It hurts watching her go through that pain and knowing she wants me to save her more than anything. That Cassie wants me. It was all a pained process I know I'll have to put up with or handle myself.

I look at myself in the mirror of my bathroom, my face covering in a layer of shaving cream, my razor held up to shave my face. There are bags under my eyes where I woke up at times screaming, too. I'd scream out Cassie's name because I kept seeing a flame engulf her, and then she'd scream for me to come for her. It hurt more than anything to lie there and listen to her scream. I finish shaving, washing my face off quickly and then put my shirt on. On my bed is my shirt and leather jacket, my cell phone resting on top of it. I pull the rest of my clothing on, grabbing my phone in which it says I'm needed at the Abandoned House A.S.A.P. There's always something going on now. I quickly walk to my car, slamming the door as I shove the keys into ignition. I'd have a few choice words with Faye while I was there; she's the one that did this, really. What kind of person does that to a girl whose mother died in a fire less than a month ago? Cassie keeps running over my mind, leaving me worried and nervous inside. Was she okay? Would she have anything to do with me again? What would she say about the kiss we shared?

I just hope that she's willing to accept all of our apologies. If anything we need to be sorry.

…

When I'm there Faye is sitting with Melissa and Diana, chattering away as she talks about Cassie and everything. She is talking about how she heard her screaming and how she kept her up all night long and other things. It was horrible, really. My eyes pinpoint on her and she shrugs, looking at Diana angrily. She grins wildly and then Melissa speaks out to us, her voice laden with sleep and apparently some kind of anger.

"Okay, why did you call us here at five in the morning? I'm sleepy, Di," Melissa says, yawning lightly.

Diana glares at her with angry eyes, just shaking her head as she chatters away about how Faye was absolutely fooling for doing that to Cassie. It actually looks like I might not be able to start fussing at her either. Diana's taking care of that for me, actually.

"Diana, I know she's just moved here but I've had enough of her! It's 'Cassie Blake this, Cassie Blake that!' And then Superman over there just had to come in and save her! If he had left me alone I would've had her using magic!" Faye interjects angrily, pointing towards me.

I eye her, taking my chance to jump in at her. I can't stand seeing Cassie getting hurt, and I don't want to see that again. Faye needs that warning to know Cassie is to be left alone, and nobody needs to bother her now.

"Faye, we need to leave her alone," I say, my words coming out a growl more than anything.

Faye just laughs lightly, looking at me with her feline green eyes. "Aww, somebody got a soft spot for the Orphan? You gonna comfort her? Just think about the stories you two could share."

I look down at that, my body flooding with pain. I lost my parents, just like Cassie did. Never knew them, though. They died when I was a baby and left me to be taken care of by my aunt and uncle. That leaves me in the same situation as Cassie, but the pain isn't as bad as it is affecting her. I don't let it bother me, either. But today's the first day I've let my walls try to crumble.

"Faye, this isn't something to be laughing over. She's scared, and I can't do anything. You don't think that I wish I could go over and do something to make her feel better? Well that's what I want to do. Ever since your little fire car stunt, she's been having nightmares. Wakes up and screams her head off maybe two, three times a night for me, Faye."

Faye holds up her hands in her own defense, looking at me as if I had said the most degrading, bitter words to her on the planet. Her mouth snarls into a grin, and then she starts shooting off comments to me quickly like daggers. "Well I didn't know that! Isn't she supposed to be passed the 'bad dream' stage? Do you think she wets the bed?"

"I'm just asking that you leave her alone. She's in pain, Faye," I say, watching as Melissa starts breaking out into a smile at my words as if I had just said the funniest words to her. "Just until she starts coming around again and the nightmares stop, don't do anything to provoke them."

Faye moans, falling back onto her pillows and then starts looking at her French Manicured nails. As she does so, she rattles on about everything and keeps the conversation going slowly. She whines and starts complaining to me. "But it was a little one, Nick! It's not like when her entire house went kaboom."

"Her mother died in a fire less than a month ago!" I shout, watching as she is unmoved by my words as I speak out to her. "Of all if the most stupidest, most selfish things, Faye, this is…"

"Okay, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I gave your little girlfriend nightmares and that I set her car on fire!" Faye exclaims. "You got to play Prince Charming and everything! Don't complain, Armstrong!"

"That's not the point," I say, listening as my voice pours over with more emotion than I have ever let out of me. "You were lucky I saved her. I was the one who stopped the fire."

Faye just snickers, shaking her head as she fixes her shirt and then starts to apply a small amount of makeup to her face as she talks back to me. I just wish I could pop her head off sometimes.

"I know you wanted to test her-we _all _wanted to. But you have to realize that her mother died in a fire less than a month ago," I explain as my temper starts to die down and I am using a rather pleading voice as I talk to her. "But by using fire, it brought back the memory of how her mother died. She died the _very same way_, Faye. What you did goes beyond carelessness and goes _straight _into cruelty!"

I watch as Faye started to become uncomfortable, her green eyes starting to have a sorry look to them. Shaking my head, I quickly snatch up my backpack to head off to school. My eyes divert to Faye once again and I speak out some final words to her and then storm off.

"We leave her alone for a week. And then if she wants to have anything to do with us, we better account ourselves lucky."

…

_Cassie's P.O.V_

My head rests against the table of my desk, the cool surface bringing relief to my hot skin. I'm having random hot flashes and nightmares are already trying to overtake me. I've tried to fall asleep in class, but I can't out of fear I'd wake up screaming my head off. Nick and the others are in class with me, sitting around me like a circle of guards or whatever. Beside of me is Nick, his eyes pointed down towards his cell phone as he texts somebody. I can't keep my eyes off of him for some odd reason, my heart literally skipping a beat everytime I let myself look at him long enough. He has short blonde hair that hangs loosely to his forehead, which he usually has perfectly fixed with hair gel most of the time, and his green eyes show rather more apology than the usual liveliness in them.

"Nick, about yesterday," I say lightly, watching as his head snaps in my direction.

His lips are twisting into a smile at me, his eyes soft as he studies me slowly. His hand reaches out lightly, his fingers closing around my hand gently. I smile at Nick and I allow myself the few moments of comfort, watching as Nick slowly strokes the back of my hand.

"You're okay, Cass. Nothing you did upset us, okay?" Nick says, his voice laden with apologies. "We shouldn't have said all of that yesterday. And I'm so sorry for kissing you; I knew you weren't ready for that."

"That's okay. Things just seem…unbelievable now. And as for the kiss, it's okay. For once since my mother's death, I felt something," I say, smirking at him.

Nick smiles at me and then quietly kisses the top of my hand, letting go before the teacher starts his lecture. I silently take out a sheet of paper, watching as he writes today's assignment on the board. It's free verse poetry and I know I can come up with something easy. It is one of my favorite writing styles, actually. The teacher calmly looks around, eyes pinpointing on students until he calls on Nick. His face turns cherry red and then he calmly starts reading his paper.

_I dream about fire-_

_My hair burns like a torch;_

_My body burns for you._

_Touch my skin and your fingers will stick-_

_You'll blacken like a cinder._

_But you'll die smiling;_

_Then you'll be part of the fire, too._

All around us boys are laughing at him, girls' eyes wide at the idea of having a poetic boyfriend for themselves. But I just stare at him with wide, confusing eyes. I wrote the same thing as him, and we didn't even look off of each other! What was happening with us? Nick's eyes lock on mine, his face set smoothly as if he were made of stone. He smiles once, looking down at me with gentle eyes. When his eyes find my paper he looks at me with a confused expression, and then he turns his attention back up to the teacher as he bites on the edge of his pen nervously. What just happened between us? Maybe I'd have to start taking this witch thing into some thinking before I decide whether to stop having interaction with them or continue coming around them.

…

I ended up being dragged to lunch by Faye and Melissa. They said we needed to talk about the entire witch thing which I wasn't happy about. So here I am, sitting at a lunch table with them. My food remains untouched, my eyes diverted in a different direction as I listen to them chatter on about things. And then they call my name out, making me jump up with wide eyes.

"Cassie, you know about witches and everything else," Faye says. "You know you're one and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."

I rise my eyebrows up at her, watching as Melissa rolls her eyes at Faye's short explanation on everything. She smiles lightly and then starts pouring out stuff to me. "We just want you to know that there's nothing to be afraid of. We're not crazy or physco, okay? You know the truth after what you and Nick did."

I nod, taking a sip of the drink I had bought. "I'm just confused. So much is happening in a small amount of time. I lost my mother, the entire witch thing is bizarre, and I'm possibly being stalked by Nick. What am I supposed to believe?"

"Cassie, just think about it. We're supposed to be binding the Circle sometime. We need you, Cassie," Melissa begs.

Before I can speak Faye is coughing, looking at Melissa with wide eyes. It looks like Melissa said something that completely through her off track and didn't please Faye at all. Her feline like eyes have a look of irritancy in them and she is rather surprised.

"Diana wants to bind the Circle?" Faye asks. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Nope, she was talking about it all day. 'We gotta bind the Circle' and other junk," Melissa says. "Besides, Cassie hasn't even experienced Solo Magic. At least give her time to have fun with her power."

I watch the two go on back and forth before Nick and Adam comes, sitting with us happily. Nick looks between the three of us, and then watches as Faye walks off.

"You can tell Diana I said she can shove her binding ritual up her hooha!" Faye calls over her shoulder, walking off to join a boy happily.

Nick chuckles, leaving me grinning wildly. He just sighs, looking down at me with soft eyes. I smile up at him and then we start laughing crazily. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

…

_Nick's P.O.V_

Cassie walks down the edge of the docks, looking into the blue, crystalline water. She's smiling brightly as she looks around, her electric blue eyes filled with wonder as she stands in one spot to look at everything around her. My eyes dart back to Faye who is standing with Diana, Adam, and Melissa on Mr. Conant's boat that's tied to the docks. They're all watching us with careful and alert eyes as if not to miss a thing.

"Cass, what're you doing here?" I ask, watching as she jumps back to look at me.

Her eyes spark up with happiness and she motions for me to come closer. Ever since I've let her meet everyone else, I've noticed she's been closer to me than any of them. Cassie's also best friends with Diana, but it's like she gravitates towards me naturally. I walk up beside of her casually, watching as she grins up at me.

"I'm here to observe and think," she answers, smiling at me.

I cock my eyebrow at her and just shake my head. Cassie snickers and then looks out into the ocean where there are hundreds of miles to see. The rolling waves fascinate her and she actually is interested in this stuff.

"What do you need to think about?" I ask, bending my head to place my chin on her shoulder lazily.

Cassie eyes me and then smile once again, looking out into the water. "It's just about what I've been told. I feel like I'm living in a Harry Potter movie."

My eyes rise at that comment. Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Harry Potter doesn't even compare to witches today. "He has a wand, Cassie."

Cassie chuckles once again and then she looks back when she hears Faye's big mouth speaking. "Look at them; they're like little goldfish stuck together!"

I eye the raven headed witch before looking down at Cassie again with a sweet smile, squeezing her hand as I offer to walk her back to her car again. She nods, looping her arm through mine gently as we walk. I glare at Faye and Melissa, pointing towards Cassie secretly as I wiggle my eyebrows. Faye just starts laughing and Melissa gives me a death glare and then looks to Adam who's doubled over as he holds in howls of laughter.

…

I drove Cassie to the beach where Diana decided to drag us for the binding ritual. She stands by my side, looking around at everyone as we stand still, Adam starting up the bonfire slowly. Diana stands at the head of the Circle, holding the Book of Shadows in her hands as she readies herself for the ritual. Adam finishes the fire, stepping back beside of Diana quickly as she starts reading.

"Tonight we come to follow in the steps of our ancestors. Do you accept the Circle?" her large, doe like eyes pinpoint on everyone, waiting for their reply.

"I accept," everyone says, their voices powerful in unison.

She starts reading off the long ritual, watching as the flames of the fire start to rise up. Cassie links her hand with my own as we start passing off the words, her fingers closing around mine in the fear of the fire. When it flares she flinches violently, her eyes closed tight as her fingers grip mine hard. That's when I felt the flames rise along with our powers, and then they bind together slowly. I feel a pull towards Cassie, my energy resting within her as I feel her course within me.

Just like that, I'm a bound witch.


	3. Loner

_Nick's P.O.V_

I sit on my bed lazily, staring up at the ceiling whereas I can't sleep. All kinds of things run through my head about the previous events over the past week. Cassie Blake came into town, Faye potentially scarred her for life, I'm falling for the blonde, and I'm basically trying to train a ticking-time bomb waiting to go off. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? The clock reads 12:00 at midnight, usually the time Cassie's nightmares would be on the high rise and I'd be popping off, too. Only I don't hear her screams; there's a calm, peaceful silence fading over Chance Harbor.

What crazy dream is this? I'm use to the wailing so much by now that I expect it to come towards me, making me wrack with chills and fearful cries. But I just hear the lullaby of croaking frogs and the dripping of a gentle rain. It's peaceful here and I can tell that Cassie's enjoying it to her fullest advantage.

The cell-phone on my desk rings and I jump, looking back at it with wide eyes. Melissa would call me at this time of night to talk or whatever, and then we broke up; Faye would normally do it to flirt about something; Adam would call to bum test answers and stuff from me in which I pick-pocketed from a nerd in the same grade as me. But it isn't _ANY _of those in which I expected to call me; instead, it's a voice I'm not sure I'd recognize anymore. It's Jake.

"_C'mon, bro, you know it's me!" _Jake says, too much enthusiasm in his voice as he rants on.

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise as I stay silent for a few minutes, a wave of irritation washing over me and then waves of other emotions I haven't felt since I let my wall down for Cassie. And this douche I'm talking to is my older brother, Jake. We've never been close to each other; normally we'd tease each other and then we'd get into a fight. That's what brotherly love is, right? Jake hasn't called us in months and left us with no information on his whereabouts or the fact that he is living or not.

"Yeah, I know it's you. Okay, Jacob, I'm kinda getting ready for bed. Have a big day tomorrow," I reply, hearing him scoff over the phone. He was always does that to me like he did as a child.

"_Nicholas, you haven't had a 'big' day since you last shacked up with Melissa Glaser. What is it this time, Nick? Find another sex buddy yet?" _Jake always knew the right buttons to push. Especially if I was the one getting teased.

"You're an ass, Jake. There's this new girl across the street," I say, smiling ear to ear.

I can hear Jake's whistle over the speaker of the phone, but then he takes a sudden interest in Cassie. From his mouth flow constant questions about her; who she is, where she came from, who her parents were. Stuff like that, that could keep me thinking endlessly about Cassie. The more he asked the more obsessed I slowly became.

"She moved in next door into the Blake house. The girl's a true beauty, Jake. Her mother died less than a month ago and has been fighting since. She's short, sad, but she's strong. A survivor," I say, speaking true words of her. "And I admire that about her."

"_She sounds lovely, Nick. Speaking of girls, how's Chamberlain?" _Jake asks, making me laugh.

Jake and Faye have BAD relations. Two years ago he left her at Prom for his senior year and never showed because he was shipped off into the Witch Hunter army. Also, he slept with her and left the very next day. They've hated each other for years on end though; it was the first day they met in the sand box in the park that ended up in them hating each other for a lifetime.

"Jake, you're asking me about a girl that hates me for being related to you and possibly hates the girl I like. You know that you can just come home and we'll work it out with her," I say, listening to his abrupt coughing

"_Faye and me working out our problems? Nick_, _are you huffing something that Uncle Alexander and Aunt Jessica doesn't know about? Hey, I have to go. Isaac's orders," _Jake says quickly. _"I'll call again when I can. Make sure that girl you mentioned stays safe, okay?"_

Did my ears just screw around with me or did he just ask that I kept someone safe for him? Jake is the most selfish thing on the planet; why'd he ask me to keep Cassie safe from harm when he didn't even know her? But even if he didn't ask, I'd keep her safe. "Trust me, Jake. I'll do more than keep her safe."

Jake thanks me quickly, saying bye and hangs up. That leaves me alone, sitting in my bedroom with nothing to do but look into Cassie's bedroom. I promised her that there'd be no privacy invasions anymore where I'd open her curtains to spy on her, but in this case I might have to. And just to be sure she's fine, of course. When the curtains fly open, I see that she's resting peacefully against her pillows, blankets tucked around her. Smiling, I watch as her own smile comes to her lips. It leaves me mesmerized by the way she looks. Finally I lay back on my bed, staring at her and end up dozing into sleep.

…

_Cassie's P.O.V_

I stand at my bathroom sink, looking at myself in the mirror happily. My skin has gone from the sickly pale color to a creamy looking color, the bags under my eyes have disappeared, and I'm not slouching from exhaustion. I'm Cassie Blake again, and I'm happy about that. Splashing cold water on my face, I grab the towel that sits on the sink, drying my face quickly as I run through my bedroom to get dressed. My eyes divert to the window to see Nick standing, laughing as he points a finger in my direction. I eye him, pulling on my shoes as I smile back at Nick brightly. He points outside, quickly buttoning his shirt up and grabs his bag. I nod and jog downstairs, opening the door, calling goodbye to my grandmother. Shutting it behind me, I see Nick already walking towards me, smiling widely. Nick welcomes me into his arms, letting out a sigh of contentment as he rubs my back.

"Well hello, you look stunning today," Nick says, making me blush.

Fighting off the red waves of embarrassment, I brush a few strands of loose hair behind my ear. _Why does he do that to me? _Giving him a sheepish smile, I watch as he joins my side, walking down the side walk with me happily. "What's with the compliments?"

Nick smirks, simply rolling his eyes as he nudges me in the waist. His lips are next to my ear, making me shiver in pleasure secretly. He speaks in a seductive tone, luring me in with the words he speaks. If it were up to me, I'd be all over him about now. But also, I feel I'm not ready for any type of relationship.

"_Why shouldn't I compliment you?" _Nick says, poking me in the stomach.

Rolling my eyes, I follow him happily down the side walk to Diana's house. We poke around at each other, laughing out loud as we run towards Diana's door. Nick puts his hands up in surrender and I eye him, grinning widely at him. Giggling, we walk inside of her house to see the other four sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast, or in Adam's case, chucking it at Faye. I join Diana's side and we start laughing, pulling each other into a hug.

"Finally you're happy. The zombie side of you wasn't pretty at all," Melissa jokes, chuckling.

Diana eyes her, but I just roll my eyes as Adam brings up another topic. Our eyes divert to the boy with dark hair and clear blue eyes, watching as he speaks softly. "Okay, leave Cass alone. Speaking of a different topic, there's actually a dance tonight. Anybody wanna go?"

That sends us into a chatter and Melissa is the first to start speaking away wildly. "I'm going: lots of cute boys to dance with and enough liquor to spike the punch bowl." She smiles brightly at everyone, her black eyes holding a mischievous grin in them.

"I'm going, too," Nick says, making everyone look at him with surprised eyes.

Faye leans forward from her end of the table, looking directly at Nick. "You haven't been to a school dance in two years, Nicky. Why would you start now?"

The blonde boy shrugs, looking from Faye and down to me. Grinning, he shows off his whitening strip white teeth and a red blush starts creeping up from the back of my neck onto my cheeks. Nick snickers, hooking his arm around my shoulders gently and I cock my eyebrows in surprise. "Well I wanted to ask Cassie. She's new here, and she looks like she could use a fun time. Also, I feel like I owe it to her."

Whistles ring through the room and I hide my head in his shirt, listening to the two dark headed girls burst out into laughter. Diana kicks Faye and then Melissa from her spot from underneath the table, making them yelp. Nick strokes my back and then I pull up from my spot in his shirt, smiling at him.

"Dances are stupid, guys; therefore, I'm not going to one," Faye says, standing up quickly.

As she stalks out of the room, Nick calls something to her and Faye yells back, cussing as she stomps down the Meade's front porch. "You know why you won't go, Faye!"

"Screw you, Armstrong!" Faye yells, then there's nothing but the sound of cussing and tires screeching against the road.

Melissa, Diana, Adam, Nick and I look between each other with wide eyes, wondering what in hell just happened. I don't dare ask, either. I just take the hand Nick gives me and nod my head to him, making him smile brightly.

"Well can I get a ride with you guys? Faye ditched me," Melissa says, sighing lightly.

"Doesn't surprise me at all, Melissa; okay with riding in the back with Nick and Cassie?" Adam asks, grabbing the car keys that sit on the table next to his cell phone.

Melissa nods, teaming up with me and then gives a cheeky smile. Nick and I somehow still cling to each other, walking outside with Melissa and the other two who lag behind.

…

_Nick's P.O.V_

I look at myself in the mirror, watching as my Aunt Jessica swarms my room. I've been dressed in a pair of blue jeans a black button up shirt, and my hair as been ruffled with hair gel. My green eyes dart to the woman who is smiling happily, her black hair flowing out behind her.

"Aunt Jess, why make a big deal over this? It's just a dance," I argue, watching as she throws a stick of deodorant my way.

"Because this is the first time you've been out with a girl in two years!" she says, making sure I put the stuff on as she starts spraying me down with Uncle Alexander's cologne.

"Doesn't you dragging me out to the mall count?" I ask, coughing when she sprays the stuff onto me.

She eyes me when I smirk at my comment and she swats me on the back, making me laugh out loud. I watch as she throws me my leather jacket, pulling it over my shoulders as I look into the house over from mine. Cassie stands in the bedroom, running around as she searches for some shoes. Her hair is curled and she's wearing a Fair Isle cardigan and a pair of navy blue skinny jeans. I smile lightly and then watch as she pulls on a pair of boots with a swift movement.

"She's a beauty, Nick. Looks just like Amelia," my aunt says, smiling brightly. "You're lucky to have her."

I nod, listening as she laughs out loud when she crashes head first onto her bed. My mouth twists into a grin and I finally take the bouquet of roses Aunt Jessica sends sailing my way. Waving, I start down the stairs to walk over to Cassie's house. I walk onto her front porch happily, ringing on the door bell. Waiting silently, I toy around with the roses in my right hand as my eyes peer inside to see a head of bobbing blonde curls coming my way. The door opens to reveal Cassie in front of me, smiling lightly as she blushes red. I'm lost for words as I stare at her. _C'mon, Armstrong, think! Say she's beautiful; tell her she's perfect. You're supposed to be the Lady Charmer, not the geek that ran off crying out of nervousness, _I yell at myself mentally.

"You're…beautiful," I say, proud of myself when I didn't start stuttering.

Cassie blushes, taking in a deep breath and I see the look in her eyes as she grins at me. Thinking absent mindedly, I hold out the roses on instinct and Cassie's face turns jalapeño red. I snicker and hold out my hand, watching as she takes it gently. I lead her over to my car, watching as she sniffs of the roses in her hands. She's happy for the first time in a while, and I can see that.

"Thanks Nick. You're the first person who's started to help me since Mom died besides my grandmother," Cassie replies, smiling at me.

My hand closes over hers, stroking her knuckles with my thumb. "I'm here for you, okay?" I ask, silently reaching over her small body to grab the seat belt. "Here, buckled up. The cops will be crawling tonight after last year's dance."

Cassie's eyebrows shoot up in question but I shake my head and she laughs as I pull out of the drive way. From behind us I can see Adam's car, the two love birds together in the front seats of the car. Judging from the look Adam shoots at me, he caught me wiggling my eyebrows at them.

…

Cassie stands on the sidelines bashfully, sipping at a cup of punch that I'm hoping Melissa didn't get to before we did. Kids are already out of the dance floor making fools of themselves and judging by some of their actions, I'm thinking Melissa got to another punch bowl.

"What's wrong, Cass. You're scared of dancing?" I ask, standing next to her.

She looks up at me, the nervous looking expression melting and turning into a gentle smile. I smirk at her and then she stands against me, head on my shoulder. "I can't dance. And _not _like that!" she interjects.

"You don't need to know how to dance, Cassie. That's what is known as 'grinding' but I'll spare you that mental scar tonight. We're not even drunk to do that, yet," I say, laughing at her.

Cassie playfully slaps me on the shoulder and then I roll my eyes, putting my arm around her shoulders gently. As we stand there a slow song starts playing and people begin to pair up. I look at Cassie and she shakes her head when I tug on her hands. "Nick, please! I can't dance," Cassie says, trying to pull back.

"Cassie, please. C'mere, let me show you," I say, pulling her out. I take her hands, putting them on my shoulders. "See, put her hands there. Now, come closer to me."

Cassie stands right up against me, arms on my shoulders as my hands wrap around her waist. She smiles at me gently and I move side to side with her. "See, you're dancing," I say, letting her glide freely with me across the floor.

She wraps her arms around my neck and she melts into the movements, easily gliding with me. My arms wrap around her waist, watching as she smiles and her head on my chest. For those few minutes I hold her close to me, enjoying what I have of her when I hear my name being called. Arms still around Cassie, I see Adam in the doorway, calling my name as he jumps up and down wildly. He was always uptight and quite frankly, you never saw him jumping up and down like his pants had just caught fire. I tap Cassie on the shoulder and she looks up at me with wide eyes, watching as I nod my head over towards Adam. We run over to the group outside of the gym's doors, teachers not catching us as we look around.

"Okay what's going on?" I ask, Cassie close to me. "Did Faye do something again?"

The raven haired witch eyes me and then presents Cassie and me with the complication. From their point of view, it's this crazy bat named Zachary Larson. I'm positive that I've heard the name before from my Aunt Jess or Uncle Alex, but it still doesn't dawn on me to who it is. Apparently he's out to get one of the Circle members.

"So you're saying a physco man is out to kill one of us?" I verify, looking down at Cassie who is looking at us like we're all crazy.

"Yep, and we're gonna look for that crazy man. Split up into groups of two and start looking. If you find him, start screaming bloody murder," Faye says, grabbing Melissa's hand and drags her off down the hall while talking in a sing-song voice.

Diana and Adam look at us then join hands, speeding off down another hall as Cassie and I go another direction. We start looking in random rooms and in janitors' closets, eyes peeled for anything that moves. Cassie sees another room and starts walking towards it and I follow, but then I hear something else. I see movement down the hall and I start down, positive Cassie's following me. Looking into a room, I just see that a few brooms have been knocked over and I'm sure Faye or Diana and Adam were in here looking.

"Cass-" I start, but then I hear a shriek and a cry of help.

Before I can stop myself I'm sprinting down the hallway, screeching Cassie's name as I look around in the darkness. I can hear a muffled scream and the dropping of a metal object as a scuffle starts up. Adam, Faye, Diana, and Melissa join up with me quickly and down the hallway is a small blonde girl fighting a bearded man. My name is screamed out and the man presses the blade of a knife to her throat. Cassie's electric blue eyes pierce mine and I feel everything she feels. Cassie doesn't struggle against him; even I know that knife could be the end of her. Lockers fly open at our command and I watch as winds start blowing, papers flying around as Zachary starts yelling obscured things and the knife drops to the floor when he goes headfirst into the ceiling. Cassie's up and running, dashing into my arms when I hold them out to her, turning into my body for protection as I wrap her up within my arms. My hands rub her back gently as she tries breathing naturally, her body trying to crumple.

"It's okay, shh. Did he hurt you?" I ask, watching as she shakes her head into the crook of my neck. "Are you sure? Do you want to go to the hospital?"

Cassie just shakes her head, still clinging to me as she pushes herself to look out to the damage done to everything. Even Zachary's body that lies limp on the floor, she looks at. God, Cassie would be screaming her head off tonight, which I'm sure. Anything having to do with death or fire made her scream for her life and as well as mine.

"What do we do?!" Diana asks. "Is he dead? What do we do with the body?"

All of us look around at each other with wide eyes, trying to come up with a plan. Where do we hide that body? I mean you can't just leave it lying; things will happen and the cops aren't exactly my favorite people to hang with.

"We can bury it in the forest?" I suggest. "We can go through the back doors."

Every one of us is arguing back and forth with each other when Dawn Chamberlain decides to drop in, looking around at us with her wide blue eyes. She looks at Cassie first, watching as she still turns to me for comfort, head on my chest as I hold her; and then she looks at Zachary's crumpled body that lies on the cold floors of the hallway scattered with papers and other things.

"What the hell happened?" Dawn asks, looking around.

"Mom, that man attacked us! He went all bat crazy on Cassie and then…" Faye trails off, not remembering much from her lack of a caring nature. "We used magic and blew him into the ceiling."

Faye's blonde headed mother sighs, looking around at us with her icy blue eyes. She walks over to Zachary Larson's crumpled body, feeling for a pulse. Looking over at us, she verifies he's alive. She picks up the knife on the floor, dragging it across her hand and presses it to his head, muttering something under her breath. With that she walks back over to us, standing in front of us like a protective mother hen; especially over Cassie and Faye.

"Cass, you okay?" she asks, waiting for Cassie's reply.

The small blonde shakes her head, indicating that there could be something wrong or she's just scared to death. I rub her back soothingly and Cassie hides in me again. Dawn looks up at everyone, pointing towards the main doors. She pulls out a cell phone and then starts calling up something on her cell phone.

"I want everyone to go home, okay? Nick, keep an eye on Cassie tonight," Dawn says, rubbing Cassie's back gently. "Diana, I'm already dialing up Charles and he'll be waiting on you. Adam, drop her off and I'll call Ethan. Be safe, okay?"

All of us nod at the older woman and I start pulling Cassie out of the school silently, towing her over to my car. Adam and Diana are at theirs, standing side by side as they hold hands. Cassie and Diana end up hugging each other tightly out of fear and I see that even Melissa is flipping out.

"Okay, if anything else goes wrong, call each other. We'll see you guys tomorrow or whatever," Melissa says, hopping into her car with Faye.

Adam and Diana wave bye gingerly and get in their own, driving off down the road behind the girls. That leaves me with a shaken Cassie in my arms, standing in the middle of the parking lot. I place her in the passenger's seat, buckling her in whereas she's too stiff to even move.

"I'm taking you home, okay?" I silently kiss the back of her hand and climb into the driver's seat.

Cassie somehow ends up looping her arms over my right one, her head on my shoulder as she stares straight ahead at nothing but the road. I take her hand in mine, holding it within my own gently and place a kiss to the top of her head gently. Cassie's eyes flutter closed, her body limp as she drifts into a restless sleep. God, she's exhausted by the looks of it.

"I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again," I whisper, that vow staying true as I speak.

The drive's short to her house and I wake her up, watching as she lets out a panicked cry and I pull her into my arms gently. Cassie hugs me, thanking me over and over again. I place my finger against her lip, shaking my head.

"No, you're fine. Okay, you know my number. Call me if you're not feeling right or you think something's up. I'll check in on you every so often, okay? Keep your curtain open," I tell her, watching as she nods.

I walk her to her front door, watching as she walks inside quietly. My eyes divert up to her room to see a few moments of darkness and then her lights come on. I walk back over to my house, closing the garage where my car is parked and walk my way upstairs. The moment I am upstairs, Cassie's curtains are open and I have a view of her sitting on her bed, looking down at a picture frame. I smile at her and she looks up at me. I wave at her and she does the same, climbing under the covers. The room goes dark and that leaves me to watch her as she sleeps.

* * *

**Thanks for the review everyone :D. Means a lot that people are actually reading this. And I only have three reviews: please to anybody that reads this click favorite and the follow buttons at the bottom of the review thing! Give me at least seven reviews and I promise I'll update again!**

**-Revelation**


	4. Heather

**Sorry I haven't updated! Things happened and I got threw off track! Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter and the first part of this isn't from any of the episodes! I just want some Nick/Cassie fluff and I REALLY want them to get closer. And I'm changing this up a little bit and we'll have an unsuspected figure come to Chance Harbor…for a short time only anyways…. *evil smile* Read, Enjoy, and Review!**

* * *

_Nick's P.O.V_

Cassie didn't scream, although she started freaking out and almost called my name. I could tell she was terrified and that something was badly wrong with her when she picked up her phone. Just like she said she'd do, her name and picture pops up on my phone, telling me to pick it up. I answer her the first ring, hearing her chattering teeth on the other end of the line.

"Cassie, you're okay, calm down," I whisper, being quiet for the sake of my Aunt and Uncle down the hall. "What's wrong?"

It takes a moment or two before she starts speaking properly, being able to talk without a few shaken up words here and there. "The nightmares, Nick; they're getting worse."

I nod in understanding, quickly answering her and try and sooth her, but it doesn't work. Something's off about her; its written all in her voice and on her face from the view I have in the window. With a reassuring set of words, I tell her she's safe and then soon enough, she tells me bye and hangs up with a comforted voice. But I can't take any chances, though. I swing my feet over the side of my bed, put on my jeans with a swift movement, and then silently grab a set of clothing from my closet. I thank God we don't have school tomorrow because Aunt Jenna would kill me if she found out I was staying with someone. I scribble a note on a scrap piece of paper, placing it on my bed and it read: _At Adam's place for tonight; promised that I'd help him open the Boat House and I already took off –Nick. _I quickly open my window, feeling the cold night air sail into my room and my teeth chatter like Cassie's, but for a different reason. I drop to the ground after closing my window, scrambling up some honeysuckle vines to reach Cassie's window. As I hold on for dear life, I knock on the glass of her window and she jumps up, falling out of bed. I don't laugh, knowing she's scared for her life and probably she's confused that I, Nick Armstrong, is hanging around her window like it is an everyday thing. Cassie reaches the window, opening it with a swift, surprised movement.

"Nick, what are you doing here?" Cassie asks in a hushed voice, allowing me to climb into her room.

I hit the floor, standing up and pull in my clothes that I tied with a rope because I couldn't climb holding them. "Well you're not acting right, so I took the opportunity to make sure that you get a good night's sleep."

Cassie crosses her arms, closing the window and the curtains. She turns on the lamp and then stands at her bed like I've committed a crime. "If Grandma gets off early enough and then comes to check on me, she'll murder me if she found me sleeping with you."

I smile, snickering as her face turned a bright red. "Who said that I'd be sleeping with you? But hey, I can make it happen."

Cassie hits my arm and then I frown. I hold my arms out to her and we stand there for a moment or two, just clasping onto each other. Cassie's breath is hot against my bare chest, her skin colder than ice against the rest of my body. God, I hate to see her like this: always scared and uncertain about things in her life. Cassie looks up at me through watery blue eyes and I shake my head, placing my thumb on her lips to silence her. After a moment or two she ends up calming down, smiling at me and then she leads me over to her bed, snickering when my face runs a deep red.

"C'mon, it isn't like I bite," she says, pulling me beside of her.

I laugh lightly, placing my head on her shoulder and then Cassie smiles up at me. My arms wind around her waist and then Cassie settles down into my arms. She rests her hands on top of my arms, head on my chest as she hums a strange song I've always heard her hum when she's dozing into sleep.

"Cassie, what's a happy memory you can remember?" I ask, looking down at her with gentle eyes.

She cocks her eyebrows, looking up at me with gentle eyes. A smile comes onto her lips and then she thinks quietly for a moment or two when she starts talking about her and her mother. "When I was little, I woke up before my mother did. I tried to make breakfast for her, but burnt down half the kitchen in the process of making pancakes," she says and laughs. "She was happy I tried to do that, but I was never allowed near the kitchen after it was remodeled."

I chuckle and then she silently lies down on the bed, pulling me down with her. We lay side by side, staring up at the ceiling in which is glowing with stars that shine brightly for the both of us. Cassie's wondering eyes marvel at them like they were everything to her, giving off something that comforts her in a way. It's not before long that I say something, but the only response I get is Cassie's gentle snore. I smile lightly when I see her turned over on her side, resting happily for what seems like the first time in a while for the both of us. I turn on my side that way we're back to back, making sure there's no contact between us really. As I doze off into a place between reality and a dream world, I silently look up at the stars once again to see that they spell out something more than what I've seen.

…

Light shines through Cassie's window, making me moan as I shove my head under a pillow. I didn't want to wake up, honestly. I was too tired and lazy to even roll over to hide under the blanket I share with the blonde next to me. I feel a body move against mine, a gentle brushing movement over my chest. I open one of my eyes to see that Cassie is cuddled up against me, her head on my chest as she wraps her arms tighter around me. Smiling, I just let her rest there for a few minutes, admiring her. I gently press my lips to her forehead secretly, watching as her eyes flutter open.

"Nick?" Cassie asks sleepily, smiling at me.

"Hey, you're up. Did you sleep well?" I brush a few strands of curls behind her ear, smiling back awkwardly.

Cassie nods and then subconsciously wraps her arms around me, bringing me closer to her small, warm body. My fingers run through her hair, leaving me contented until she realizes to the full extent what's going on. She squirms a little and then becomes comfortable, long since having been in another person's arms since her mother's death. I can only imagine that her mother held her tight when she was scared or upset; it made me wonder about some things about Amelia Blake.

"I'm sorry, Nick… I didn't mean to…" Cassie murmurs, pulling from my arms.

I shake my head, touching her cheek gently. "It's okay; I enjoyed it… I haven't held anybody that close in a long while."

Cassie smirks and then silently leans against the pillows again, staring up at the ceiling. Her blue eyes still look at the stars that shined brightly for her day or night. I wonder what's going through that pretty blonde head of hers when she intertwines her fingers around mine. We lay side by side, looking over at each other. Cassie expression turned sour quickly and then I frown, staring at her with a worried expression.

"What is it?" I ask.

Cassie shakes her head, squeezing her blue eyes shut for a moment as if to keep tears from finding their way down her face. "I was thinking about what Zach said; about his girlfriend, Heather Barns…" Cassie says.

"What about it, sweetheart?" I squeeze her fingers and she returns the pressure.

"Just about how my mother had a role in that whole mess with the demons. I want to make it right," she says, making me shake my head.

"Listen, you can't magically put the pieces back together in other people lives when you haven't even fixed yours," I reply, earning a death glare that leaves me cringing. "Heather has been in a cationic state for sixteen years, Cassie. I'm sure that the thing inside of her is better much left alone and asleep."

Cassie gives me a defiant look like a child would do and then I grab a pillow, hitting her with it playfully. Cassie starts laughing and then arms herself with a pillow, smiling wildly. "Oh, so you want a pillow fight? Bring it, Armstrong."

Soon enough it turns into a full on pillow war and I'm tackling Cassie to the bed, beating her with the pillow as she screams and laughs at the same time. I laugh with her and she lands me on the floor with a blast of magic I never knew she held. I groan in pain and then Cassie walks over to me, bending down next to me. I take her into my arms, pinning her beneath my body. Oddly enough I'm slowly attracted to her again and this time, she is, too. Cassie winds her arms around my neck, her lips against mine gently. I feel startled at that and somehow I deepen the kiss until Cassie's body stiffens, her lips drawing from mine. She looks unsure of what she's doing, her blue eyes hazy and she pushes from my embrace, standing up.

"Too soon?" I ask and Cassie nods, putting her head on my chest.

I hold her there for a second or two, putting my lips to her ear and then press a kiss there. Cassie looks up at me through watery blue eyes and then I offer a smile to her, grasping her hand. "When you're ready, Cassie," I say and she knows what I mean.

We stand in each other's arms for a moment for two until my phone rings, leaving Cassie to go and crash face first onto the bed, head buried under a pillow as I answer my phone. As I do so, I hear the one voice I haven't heard in about two weeks: Jake's.

"_Well you didn't say hello! So, where are you at?" _Jake asks, making me roll my eyes.

"I'm at home, Jacob. Where are you at?" I quip, sitting beside of Cassie.

"_I'm looking at you through your bedroom window. Must I say that the blonde is smoking'?" _Jake starts chuckling and I look at my big brother through the window to see him shirtless in my room. _"She's hot, Nick. I might have to kill you over her!"_

"Put your ego away!" I exclaim and then Cassie gives me a look. I offer her a smile and then rub her shoulder gently.

"_I see you're close with her. Any sexual relations yet?" _Jake's voice raises an octave and my eyes grow wide at that.

"Jake, you know instead of you cowering away on the other end of the phone, why don't you meet her yourself. I'm sure you'll love her…" I say, hearing him chuckle.

"_I'll be over in a second," _he says. _"Meet me downstairs?"_

I reply quickly back to his answer, hanging up as I receive looks from Cassie and I smile at her cheekily. She swats my arm and then stands up, grabbing a set of clothing and heads into the bathroom, locking it. I look across the room to see Jake stepping into shoes and pulling a shirt over his head. Standing up, I close the curtains and then start pulling on the clothes I put in the corner of Cassie's room for a speedy getaway if Jane walked in on us. Cassie's footsteps sound behind me as I pull my shirt over my hair and I look back at her, smiling lightly. She's dressed in a white sun dress with black sandals on, her hair hanging loosely in ringlets down her back. Shaking my head, Cassie silently pushes me downstairs and then I see a blonde boy standing outside of Cassie's window, seemingly contented as he sways side to side.

"So you've got a brother?' Cassie asks. "Why didn't I know?"

I just shake my head half-heartedly and walk towards the door. "Because I didn't claim him as my brother."

I open the door to see Jake standing there, looking at me with teasing eyes and a goofy smile. He holds his hand out as if a stranger and I grasp it and he pulls me into a bone-crushing hug I didn't expect at all. Pushing away, I motion for Cassie to step forward and then Jake's teasing expression and goofy smile turns soft and mushy before our eyes.

"Jake, this is Cassie Blake. The one I told you about," I say, watching as Jake nods.

"Cassie…" Jake murmurs like he was savoring her name. "You're a beautiful girl, Cassie. Nick has said some wonderful things about you, Miss Blake."

Cassie blushes and he lifts her hand to his mouth, kissing it gently and then I give him an odd look and drag him inside with Cassie beside of me, chatting with Jake quietly, keeping close to me. It's like there's an insecurity about all of this to her.

"So what brings you to Chance Harbor?" I ask silently.

Jake gives a half-hearted smile and then sits on the couch, leaving me and Cassie on the other. "I just came to see the family. Check up on you and make sure you were treating this young lady correctly. He's got a…bad history with girls."

My eyes grow wide and then Cassie's eyes narrow like she's throwing daggers at him. He just stands up, shaking his head and leaves, slamming the door and Cassie's body relaxes, but in a different way. She looks up at me with worried eyes and then she shakes her head, pulling me into her arms.

…

_(LONG time skip since I didn't really watch this episode thoroughly!)_

Cassie soon tracked down Heather and her whereabouts, finding a place called Finn Creek that was left of an old fishing town that, in my words, was very sketchy. So here I am, sitting beside of Cassie in my truck as we stare at the small house Heather inhabits while her brother cares for her. Cassie still grasps my hand, not intending to let go. After today's events, I'm not sure this is going to go right at all.

"This the place?" I ask, looking down at her.

Cassie nods and then she knocks on the door to reveal a man with blonde hair staring down at Cassie and I. That must be Wade, Heather's brother. Cassie's eyes divert inside of the house for a moment or two before talking quietly to the man, revealing that she was Amelia's brother and all of that other mumbo jumbo about what happened and guess what? He welcomed us right in and led us over to Heather who wasn't looking too hot.

"She's been in this catatonic state for sixteen years and well…she's almost paralyzed," Wade explains, looking down at his sister.

Cassie walks over to her, looking down at her. Okay, know when people say looks can be deceiving? Well, this is one of those moments. Looking absolutely harmless, Heather lays there until Cassie is close enough and then she jumps right up, screaming at Cassie and then the small blonde shrieks and I feel scared, too. I quickly yank Cassie back from Heather and we make a speedy getaway, but Cassie looks behind us and I see a glint in her eyes that she's seen something. We jump in my truck and I ignite the engine, pulling out of the place and off down the street. Cassie's initial fear has stopped, but she still looks shaken by the outburst.

"You okay, Cass?" I ask, looking down at her.

"Yeah, just fine," Cassie says, leaning back against the chair, her face paler than my white T-shirt.

Things fall silent in the car until I manage to get Cassie home again and I take up upstairs because of that little disturbance Heather pulled on her. Cassie's blue eyes dart to the book on the bed and she rushes over to it, picking it up to find something. It's leather bound and has pages yellowed with years of use, making me wonder how long the Blakes have had this thing. She finally finds some promising evidence and then shows it to me, pulling me beside of her. Detailed information in the book describes what is up with Heather and then some more; also, it's all in Cassie's mother's handwriting. There's no doubt this is Amelia's work because there's no way Cassie could know much about the supernatural world at this point.

"So my mom did this?" Cassie asks, her voice low and hoarse.

I nod, giving her a half-hearted smile and then wipe a single tear that slips its way out of her eye. "Well that means we'll be spending a lot of time together."

…

Cassie and I ended up sitting in the Abandoned House living room, chatting over the spell book and other things and I explain to her a spell is needed to break Heather's sigil on her hand. I stand behind a table, chopping up roots and herbs as Cassie reads off specific directions to me and then she reads out: "The speller's blood." She looks at me with wide eyes and then shows me her hand as I bring over a small tube and a needle and take her hand gently. I quickly pierce the top of her finger, blood flowing freely now and hold it over the tube and let it collect. Then my favorite buzz kill decides to waltz in as I pull away the small tube of blood, placing a cotton swab on Cassie's finger to staunch the bleeding.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Diana asks, arms crossed like a mother expecting a child to give an immediate answer.

Adam follows and I just roll my eyes, looking at Cassie's finger, pressing my lips to it. She blushes at that gesture and then follows me over to the table where I've mixed in the spell ingredients. I pour the red liquid in and then vial it in a bottle, putting it aside.

"I'm helping Miss Cassie here with something. A goody-two shoes like you wouldn't get involved," I answer, making Adam chuckle.

Diana slaps her boyfriend on the chest, eying him and then looks back at me. "Is it about this Heather thing? You don't need to get involved!"

"Oh, so now you decide that using magic for the greater-good is bad? Pick a side, Diana," I mumble, a small smile appearing on Cassie's face.

Diana just huffs, stomping off and then I see Melissa beside of Adam, chatting with him happily. Maybe that's why she has her panties in a twist. Silently I slip this into the pocket of Cassie's jacket, winking at her. Cassie quickly lands a covert kiss on my cheek, thanking me quietly and then we sit on the couch again, talking quietly to each other.

"If you could have another chance to make things right, who would it be with?" I ask and then I see Cassie's blue eyes fill with tears, her lips trembling like she wanted to cry.

"I'd make it right with my mother, Nick. The night before she died, I had gone to a friend's house when she said no, but I did it anyways. She was mad at first, but then didn't say anything. We was on the phone because I had a flat tire and I was almost about to say sorry when her phone closed down. When I got home, the firemen were already there and they said the four words that made me wish I said sorry sooner: 'She didn't make it.' Nick, I miss her so much," Cassie sobs, burying her face into her hands. "I want my mom back."

I wrap my arms around her, hushing her and then I sit there with her until she calms down, just lying against me as time wears on.

…

Cassie and her new found friend Faye stand outside of Wade's house with me, holding the potion tightly in her hand. The two girls teamed up magically and became friends the moment Cassie showed her the spell book and potion…I have a feeling that those two are going to be great friends soon. Now we've just gotta work on Melissa and Cassie's issues and the entire Circle will be all sappy with each other. Like two spies, Cassie and Faye hide behind two bushes, watching as Wade leaves the house, locking the door quickly and then gets in his van riding off down the road. Cassie and Faye scuffle from the bushes, finding a window that has been partly left open…stupid ass move, Wade. Cassie and Faye are already in quietly, leaving me outside as a watch dog and then I peek inside to see what's going down. Cassie is taking the potion and they say a spell twice before rubbing the potion on the scar on Heather's wrist. I see a van rolling up the driveway and I whistle to the girls, telling them to hurry. Cassie is the first out the window, landing in my arms and then Faye jumps out like Cat Woman and they start running together wildly.

Yep, this will be their dirty little secret for life. I shut the window before the door opens and I follow the two best friends down the street and into my truck for the second time today, leaning against the steering wheel to catch my breath.

"Oh, if anything bad happens you two are DEAD!" I say and then Cassie and Faye just start laughing, telling me to drive down the road.

…

Cassie and Faye went running over to her place while I went home to goof around, so that gave me the pleasure of being alone with the one and only Jacob Armstrong for a while. My older brother has taken resident in his room while I kicked back in mine, watching T.V or simply playing Call of Duty on my Nintendo DS. My older brother, being the Jackass he is, walks into my room and smirks at me.

"So, any girls in here since I've been gone?" Jake asks, making me eye him.

"Same I can say for you, Jake. I can bet you've already got half of the women in Washington pregnant," I murmur, blasting the last of the zombies on my video game.

"Will that count Cassie?" he asks and I throw the alarm clock at him and I bust him in the nuts.

"Will you drop it? Cassie's not any of concern to you!" I yell, watching his smile brighten with the mischievous charm he gets. "You don't even know her! You'd offer her nothing but hurt! I don't want her like Faye!"

Jake doesn't say anything and then just as he exits the room, screaming from across the street is heard. They're Faye's screams, but what about Cassie's? I quickly slide into a pair of shoes and then Jake follows me across the street and I bust in the door to see Cassie's body lying on the floor in a heap, a bruise running along her head. I run over to her and pick her up and her blue eyes open weakly and she makes a noise, jumping when Faye's screams can be heard and runs to wherever the raven haired witch is. I almost follow, but then between Heather and the girls, it becomes a game of tag. Cassie ends up on a dead end and I watch as Heather goes all Hidden Dragon, Crouching Cat on Cassie's ass when I run forward, pushing her away and grab her quickly, grabbing a startled Faye and push her into Jake whom she isn't happy to see at all. Heather runs outside and then as I hold Cassie's body to mine, watching as she runs outside and then she's hit by a car…not a pretty sight. Cassie and Faye shriek, looking away as they tangle either Jake or me in their arms.

"911?" Cassie asks, looking at me and then Faye.

"Oh yeah," Faye says, yanking out a cell phone and then quickly dials the numbers.

…

_(This is Nobody's _P.O.V :D_)_

Adam and Diana silently sleep next to each other, really unsuspecting of anything. Diana throws her arm around him as if waiting for him to protect her from everything evil, but there's one thing that he can't protect her from now… Dead to the world, the sleeping girl doesn't even now know what evil has just entered her body and what hell is coming to Chance Harbor….

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**Just love adding some perks or just simply confusing you guys! Hope you liked this chapter and please give me 5 reviews! I promise that I'll update more frequently! **


	5. Slither

**Merry Christmas everyone! This is your present from me to you****!Well you guys gave me my 5 reviews so I'll give up this update! Now, I have a proposal for you: if you give me just eight more reviews, I'll update before New Years. Anyways, thanks to the people that told me I've done such an amazing job at writing this! Had a terrible lack of confidence writing this because I thought it wouldn't have hit off like I wanted it to. Read, Enjoy, and Review! And since everything is coming from Cassie's P.O.V, I'm changing some things up about this episode and I'm sorry about who I'm killing off… we barely knew him as Chance Harbor's biggest dreamboat…**

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_Cassie's P.O.V_

The bright sunlight starts streaming through my room, making me groan as I sink down under the covers. My entire body aches from Heather's little stunt yesterday where she decided to swing-arm me out of existence and I have a bruise forming on the back of my head and I told Grandma I fell down and hit my head really hard. I look at the clock and it reads 5:00 and I groan louder into the pillow. I don't want to wake up at all but I know that Jake, Nick, or Adam will be up here and will start beating me with a pillow or in Jake's case: get under the covers with me; I might have to take my chances with them over that. Curling up on my side, I am dozing back into sleep when my phone rings and I reach out my jellied limb and my unsteady fingers curl around my cell phone, picking it up. On the other end is a frantic Adam yammering things about Diana.

"Adam! Good God, calm it down! What is going on at five in the morning?" I say rather harshly. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"_Aww, I thought little Nicky Wicky would be sleeping with you," _Adam says, making me hold my lips together before I lay it to him.

"You called about Diana, Adam. Not about the people I let into my house," I say, making Adam laugh. "What did you do, get Diana pregnant?"

Adam starts coughing and I smile wildly as his voice raises an octave. _"You are a REAL bitch when you wake up, you know that? Enough with the pregnancy jokes! Diana is having headaches and I sure as hell don't know what to do!"_

"So I've been told I've been a bitch of the mornings, Adam. Anyways, you're having a meltdown over a headache? Give her some asprin and call it a day," I reply quickly. "Bye, Adam."

"_Thanks, Cassie! I'll see you and your sex buddy at school!" _Adam says and then before he can hang up, Diana tells him something and then I am given the information. _"Well you know what? Diana has asked me to give you a ride to school while she clears her mind by riding by herself. Mind if I swing by about 7:30?"_

My mouth hangs open in both utter surprise and fear at Adam dragging me to school. I'm already ticked at him bad enough as it is, but I guess I'll do it for Diana so no other girl jumps in his car. I breathe in and out for a moment before I answer him. "I'd like that, Adam. See you then."

Hanging up, I throw my phone at the foot of my bed and then I hear a knock on my door. I see a boy with blonde hair and walk in and I recognize him as Jake. I grab the baseball bat I kept by the bed and he holds his hands up, giving me a gentle smile.

"Don't kill me, I'm only the messenger! Nick is out of town for a few days with the family and I was given the option to stay and he told me to tell you!"

I nod, smiling and then usher him out of my room, telling him to stay downstairs until I got changed into my clothes. Walking downstairs fully dressed, Jake sits at my counter, head resting on his arms as he raps his knuckles against the counters. I walk to the cupboard, pulling out two bowls and grab spoons and cereal, sliding it over to him.

"Eat because I know you can't cook," I say, pouring myself a bowl.

Jake rolls his eyes. "I can cook… I just can't use the stove, toaster, or microwave," Jake says. "You know I can make a mean bowl of Frosty Flakes?"

I laugh at him, eating it bit by bit. The only reason I'm even eating is because Jake is forcing me to. I think he has been stalking my eating habits or something… We silently watch T.V until 7:00 rolls around and Jake asks simple questions on my life; who my friends were, where I lived, and other question and I quiz him back. I ask him why he left and why his relationships with Faye and Nick went sour. All he said was that things weren't well then.

"It's never too late to fix those mistakes, you know," I say and Jake smiles at me.

"That was some of the most comforting words I've heard since I've been here," he whispers. "Cassie, you're an amazing girl."

I feel a red blush creep up from the back of my neck and it travels towards my cheeks. Jake chuckles and smiles gently. "Do you have a ride to school?"

"Yeah, Adam is taking me. He suggested it," I reply and Jake's smile leaves his face and he stands up just as seven thirty appears on the clock.

"C'mon, I'll walk you outside," he mutters, holding out his arm.

I give him a light smile, grabbing my bag and I loop my arm through his, walking by his side as we take our time walking outside. In my driveway is Adam's truck that would make the ugliest cars laugh at it and Jake chuckles, this time moving his arm from my arm to my waist. He walks me across the street, keeping me close to him and I haven't felt anything like it before. He smiles down at me and strokes my back gently.

"Conant," Jake says, acknowledging the dark headed boy leaning against his truck.

"Armstrong," Adam says, taking one look at Jake and then shudders.

I don't know why Jake even does this next thing, but it makes Adam rather upset. Jake presses his lips to my cheek, brushing my hair behind my ear before helping me into Adam's car. "Have a good day at school… Adam, take care of her, okay? For Nick and I," Jake mumbles and then walks towards his house, glancing at me over his shoulder.

…

Not even half-a-day into our classes Melissa side-tracked me and Faye and she spotted and showed us a dazed and confused Diana Meade. The well-kept, organized brunette looks like everything from those two words that describe her. I wonder what REALLY happened to her when Adam called the house this morning asking what could help Diana's head-ache.

"Okay, what's up with Miss Goody-Two Show?" Faye asks, looking at Diana with surprised eyes.

Melissa just coughs before pointing at Adam who is walking down the hallway silently. "I don't know but whatever Adam did last night must've put her in that mood."

We all start laughing and Adam walks up to us, pointing towards Diana who hasn't even acknowledged him since this morning when she demanded that he take me to school. We shrug and then continue talking until most of the halls have cleared out and Faye looks up at the clock, grabbing me and Melissa, waving at Adam.

"We've got to get to class! Bye Adam! C'mon Melissa and Cassie!" Faye says, dragging me and a laughing Melissa Glaser down the hallway.

Now all we have to do is figure out what Adam did or how much alcohol Diana decided to drink last night.

…

I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. The stars shine brightly for me as I think about the Circle, each of them passing over my mind. They shine the brightest when Adam comes into my mind, but I don't really understand. There's no physical attraction towards him, but I feel something when I think of him. It isn't immense love for him, it's for somebody else, but I haven't found that out yet. As I lay there, I hear my phone go off and I see Adam's dialing me up again. Answering, I hear his frantic, hushed voice on the other end of the line. Melissa was talking, too, but I couldn't understand her. Before any more words are made I hear a hiss and the phone line is disconnected…

"Adam? Adam?!" I ask into the phone, my heart pounding wildly.

Standing up, I drop everything as I jump into my shoes, not grabbing my jacket as I run out into the frigid air. I didn't know where to go. Adam was locked up with Melissa in the Abandoned House and Faye was nowhere to be seen, Nick was with his aunt and uncle, so my last resort is basically Jake… I run over to his house and beat on the door and he calls downstairs, footsteps sounding as he walks down his steps. He opens the door and looks down at my small body which is being chilled by the wind and he pulls me in, grabbing a blanket off of the back of the chair.

"Cassie, what are you thinking? It's freezing out there and you don't even have a decent shirt on! God, Nick is gonna kill me if you're sick!" Jake says, rubbing my arms gently to warm them as I hug my blanket around my body.

"It's Adam and Melissa… Diana has them locked up and she's possessed or something! Jake, we've gotta help them!" I say, my teeth chattering away.

Jake nods, taking my hand firmly in his. "C'mon, let's go and get them outta there before Diana does anything funny." Jake says, dragging me outside and into his ancient truck.

Jake races down the road wildly, starting up towards the hill that leads towards the Abandoned House. He looks down at me with worried eyes and then quickly helps me out of the truck, tucking his jacket around my shoulders, making me stay behind him as we go inside. Opening the door, we see that Adam and Melissa are basically playing a game of hide-and-go-seek with Diana and then we hear the brown headed girl mutter something under her breath in a deep voice and Jake chuckles. I slap him hard and he grabs a rope, running towards Diana quietly. He pounces on her and ties her with rope. He wrestles with her for a few seconds and then finally gets her tied up. Leaving me wishing I hadn't seen any of that, Adam tows his girl upstairs and Jake walks towards me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You're okay? Please tell me you're okay," Jake says, looking into my terrified eyes.

I don't answer and he leads me to a seat on the couch and Melissa hands me a water bottle which I sip from slowly. Jake runs upstairs to help Adam with something and I sit on the couch, not knowing what on God's earth to do. I stand up, taking Jake's keys and he asks me what I'm doing.

"Jake…I…I've got to find help for Diana… and I…" I look into his crystal blue eyes and he nods, letting me go and I run outside.

But before I start the engine I pray silently that Diana doesn't end up like Heather and something horrible doesn't happen to us in the process of this.

…

Running inside of the house quickly, I see my grandmother sitting on the couch, looking over a book. Her blue eyes dart up to me and she smiles lightly, scooting over to make room for me. By reading my facial expressions, her smile turns into a frown and she takes my hands in hers.

"What is it, Cassie? Is something bothering you?" Grandma asks.

"I've been hiding some things, Grandma. You know how Heather came to life and then there was all of this talk about Zachary Larson, and how I've been spending a lot of time with Nick Armstrong and his group of friends? We've been…practicing magic," I say, trailing off on the last part, looking up at her with terrified eyes.

"I've known that since you've come here, Cassie. But what's really the problem, dear?"

"It's Diana; she has a demon inside of her," I murmur and Grandma's eyes grow wide. "And she has this bag and…"

She quickly makes me stand up and starts for a small compartment hidden behind a picture. She pulls out a small crystal and then we head out of the door, piling into Jake's truck and start off down the road towards the Abandoned House again. Honestly I feel like Batman and Grandma's my sidekick; I've been involved in way too much action since I was here… When we get to the Abandoned House, my grandmother says some kind of creepy spell and Adam and Jake looks down at us from the upper part of the place. Faye is with them, Melissa by her side and I run upstairs to join them. Jake looks down at me with gentle eyes and then we look back at a bag that sits on a table. Before I can do anything I see a few drops of blood on his shirt and I see a bandage on his neck. I reach my hand up but he catches it, shaking his head at me.

"I'm fine, Cassie. C'mon, let's start helping before that bag opens open," Jake says and then we run over and start grabbing random plants, throwing it in the bag.

As I work, I hear Diana's cries of pain and fear and I look to see that she's free of the demon, but now where is it? I look up at Jake and then over at Adam. Adam's body tremors lightly and then his eyes pinpoint on me. He lifts his arm high, and before anybody can stop him, he hits and plows right over me and runs out of the door. Jake picks me up, holding me upright on my shaky legs. My vision is all over the place and Jake starts shaking me gently.

"Cassie, focus on me. C'mon, look at me," Jake says, holding me up.

My eyes stop rolling around and as I think that I'll be okay, Jake quickly stands me up, grabbing the bag and runs to the worn-down bathroom, throwing it in the bathtub and my grandmother follows. Filling it up, the demons start to drown and Nick drops a match inside after we drain it, watching as the bag burns to ashes. Jake leads me downstairs after we're sure whatever was in that bag's dead and we stumble downstairs. Melissa and Faye are helping Diana up while she jabbers crazily. Her boyfriend of three years is now on our Witch's Most Wanted List.

"Listen, Adam is out there doing God knows what, so we've gotta find him before people start dropping. Split up and let's go!" Melissa says, teaming up with Faye and they run outside and start up their car, riding off.

My grandmother goes with Diana since I asked her to and that leaves Jake and I. We get into his truck and drive off to wherever we can find Adam and he looks down at me. Jake rubs my back gently as my anxiety rises through the roof and I fear the worst for our lives and for the soul that has been taken by the demon.

…

We search all over the place for wherever Adam could be. Diana and my grandmother went to the Boat House, Faye and Melissa search the docks, and Jake and I went to search the coast line. Jake is holding a knife as if to start warding off all of the things that could go bump in the night, but there's nothing popping out so far on us. So in the darkness of night, Jake and I search for our little pet inchworm and his host. When I think about giving up on all hope, I look out into the darkness and by the light of the moon, I see a body lying there, completely submerged in the water. I pray to God it isn't Adam, but I guess the direct pipe-line to him got cut off and I see the wide, terrified, dead eyes of Adam Conant in the water. On instinct I try to grab for him, but Jake grabs me, holding me to him. I struggle but he's too strong for me to fight against and I just fall into his arms, shedding hidden years as I shake violently as he dials 911. As we wait for the police to arrive, I see Diana and my grandmother race down the docks and Diana starts wailing, her mouth covered as she runs towards her dead boyfriend. I don't cry because I barely knew Adam, but I cry because of what happened to him and the first of the sobs break free from what I've been holding in. Jake hushes me, rubbing my back as he pulls me into his lap. I look at Adam's body a last time before I lose myself, but not completely in Jake's arms.

* * *

**I know you Adam lovers wanna kill me now… Anyways, let me give you guys something to think about: not only one person in the Circle gets a witchy and bitchy big brother!**


	6. Wake

**We're gonna have some fun this chapter! Now, not just one person in the Circle gets the fun of having a witchy and bitchy older brother! We'll get to know him better when Cassie decides that she'll get herself randomly almost killed **** Hope you guys like this chapter! BTW: We'll have a very unexpected couple pop up in this story :D**

* * *

_Cassie's P.O.V_

I stare out of my window silently, arms crossed as I look around. It's dark outside and only the moon provides what little light there is. Nick went to bed hours ago so I'm left restless and walking around my room at all hours of the night. Since Adam's death, I haven't really been the same at all; sleep hasn't been able to come like I wanted it to and the glass bubble I tried to rebuild shattered again along with what little sanity I had left. Leaning against the cool wall, I peer into Nick's room to see his body curled up in his bed, pillows thrown over his head and around the room, his body left bare with the exception of underwear. But that isn't what catches my eye; outside there are two figures poking at a fire with a shovel and I make out one of the figures to be Jake, but the other I can't really see. I rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't losing my marbles and run to my grandmother who was downstairs in the kitchen. Standing up, I scurry downstairs to see that she's in the kitchen sipping at a cup of coffee and looking at a book.

"Hello, Cassie; what on God's earth are you doing up at this ungodly hour?" Grandma asks quietly.

I manage a small smile before I explain what I had seen and she gives a look, just shaking her head and then gives me a reassuring hug. "I'll explain this later… When you go upstairs, close your curtains, okay? Good night, Cassie."

I look at the older woman and sigh, walking back upstairs. As I look out the window, in the rising sun, I see Jake, but another unfamiliar figure. The unfamiliar figure has pale blonde curls and haunted green eyes, but he's handsome nonetheless. Before either of us can get even more interested in each other, I hurriedly close the curtains and climb under my covers. As I start dozing off, all I can think about are those haunted green eyes…

…

I wake up feeling horrible, my body aching for an unknown reason. I'm still in the same room I fell asleep in, tucked carefully under the covers. Pushing myself up, I look around my room quietly, deciding on whether I should go question Jake on what happened last night, but I think I'll lay low today. Hanging my head low, I take a few minutes to clear my head, but all I can think about it that boy with the pale blonde curls and those haunted green eyes. Deciding that I need a day to myself, I start for my closet and pull out clothing. I silently make my way downstairs, enjoying the silence that seems to be constantly around me besides when I'm with the Circle. I think about everyone; especially Adam. I think about where he is and how he's doing; I wonder if he's not in pain and if he longs to be here with us. I silently walk outside, the unusually warm air wrapping itself around me. I walk off of the porch, wondering if I should go over to Jake's or go and check on Diana when I hear a voice calling. My head snaps up to see the same blonde headed boy I had seen last night in Jake's backyard while keeping their little bonfire. This time I get a better look at him; he's tall and masculine with a carefully structured body. His pale blonde hair looks almost snow white in the sunlight and those green eyes sparkle with wonder instead of the haunted look I seen.

"Hey, aren't you Cassie Blake?" he asks and I nod insecurely at him.

"Yeah, I'm Cassie. Who are you?" I ask and his lips twitch into a smile.

As I study him, I see features that I knew Adam held. The same nose, the ears, and the lips define him as part of the Conant family, and maybe even he could be something more to Adam. The boy walks up to me, lifting my hand to his lips.

"I'm Matt Conant," Matt says. "I think you knew my brother."

I was right! That is exactly one-hundred percent Adam Conant in front of me. "You were Adam's brother? He never told me about you."

Matt just smiles down at me, gently placing my hand back at my side. "We never got along, Cassie. Kinda like Nick and Jake's case, ya know? You're beautiful, you know that?" Matt puts his hands in his pockets, looking down at me with gentle eyes.

I blush wildly and Matt snickers, looking up and down at me. We talk for a few more minutes until I hear a door slam shut and I look to my left to see Jake and Nick walking out. Nick smiles brightly at me and then gives Matt the dirtiest look I've ever seen in my life. Jake eyes him and then Nick strolls up to me, giving me a light hug.

"I heard about Adam and how you found him… are you okay, Cassie?" Nick asks. "Jake said you were torn up."

I nod and Nick rubs my back soothingly. "Yeah, I'm fine," I say, gently pulling out of Nick's embrace.

He smiles brightly and then wraps his arm around my waist and then looks at Matt who is glaring at Nick like he's just committed murder. "Conant, what're you doing back?" Nick eyes him, almost like sizing him up in a way.

"I'm back because of my little brother. You know I'm not that cold and heartless, Armstrong," Matt says, looking down at me as I fidget around, drawing back from Nick.

Tension is rising between the two of them and them Jake pulls Nick back, his green eyes flickering with anger. Matt smiles cheekily and I return the smile, too. Nick takes my hand, gently leading me away from Matt. I look back at him a last time and stare into his eyes, a door closing between us as Nick gently wraps his arms around me again.

…

Nick and I walk silently over to Diana's, hoping we could drag her out of bed since Adam died last week. She was a mess and she'd become very hostile in some situations. I wasn't able to go near her because she would throw whatever she had at me. Nick even tried to get her and he ran out screaming bloody murder when she threw some perfume bottles at him.

"You sure you wanna go up in there? Diana could be in one of those moods," Nick points out, his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

I roll my eyes at the blonde, snickering. "Nick, Diana hasn't been seen at school in over a week and according to a distraught Mr. Meade, she's rolling around in the fetal position all day. Plus she hasn't eaten in three days so I thought I'd drag her out to the coffee shop for lunch."

Nick eyes me. "Why not take her to the B…" I cut him off with a quick glare and a flick to the side of his head. "That's right…that's her old boyfriend's old house and job…"

"That's right, Nick. C'mon, let's go to her place before Mr. Meade decides that Diana isn't stable to go out anywhere," I mumble to my blonde friend.

After walking with a ranting Nick for another five minutes, I finally stomp up to Diana's porch and Mr. Meade is already at the door, looking out at me. "Thank God you're here! Diana is going into one of those fits again."

I smile up at him, nodding. God, he was worn down. His hair was a mess, he had bags under his eyes, and there was something about him that said guilt more than sympathy and love for his traumatized teenage daughter. I make Nick wait down in the living room while I quietly walk upstairs, turning towards Diana's room. Knocking on her door, I stick my head inside to see that she's buried under her covers, sobbing her little heart out. Good God, she still hasn't cried herself out yet? My mother died less than a month ago and I had run out of tears in less than two days and I was dry sobbing. Still, my heart goes out to her.

"Diana?" I ask quietly. "It's me, Cassie."

She shoots up, eying me as she wipes the tears from her eyes. God, she's a complete mess. I give her a light smile, walking over to her. I remember that the night after Adam passed away that I spent the night here and we cried all night long over him. We were never that close before that and probably after that. Diana throws her body into my arms and I squeak a little bit, holding her automatically. She buries her head into my shoulder and cries and I feel tears slip past my guard, too.

"Hey, stop crying, Di. Adam's in a better place now and that demon's dead. Nothing can hurt him anymore," I reply, my voice becoming high and squeaky.

"He is?" she asks hoarsely, making me cry even harder.

"Yeah, he is. C'mon, get up. Nick and I are taking you out to the Coffee Shop and we're gonna eat lunch. Go dress up in something pretty, okay? We're going out."

Diana nods and then gets up shakily. Once again she jumps into my arms, chirping so many things to me and I give her a bone-crushing hug. She lets me go and I smile at her, walking out of the room quietly to see Melissa, Faye, and Nick standing there.

"Cassie, you are a miracle worker! How'd you convince Diana to get outta her bed?" Melissa asks.

"I don't know," I say, walking over to Nick and he picks me up, spinning me around playfully.

I laugh silently and stand firmly next to the goofs, waiting until Diana walks out of her room, dressed up in a pair of skinny jeans, a black top, and some crazy looking high heels. Still it looks better than some pj's she wore. I wave silently at the girls and Nick, bouncing off beside of Diana and we laugh a little bit as we walk off downstairs. When we get to the Coffee Shop I drag Diana inside and install her body in a booth; she was reluctant and people were giving her pitied looks, which makes this outing for her even more uncomfortable. I offer her a light smile and then order two coffees, sitting one in front of her.

"Diana, tell me what's going on in your head," I say.

She gives me a hateful look and then shakes her head. "I'm thinking about Adam. It's like he's always swimming around in my head and I want to get him out, Cassie. How did you do it after Amelia died? How'd you get her out of her head?" Diana asks, her voice cracking.

I frown, sighing as I take a sip of my coffee. "I didn't get her out of my head. Diana, I'm still a mess. Sometimes I'll be up in my room crying because the pain and the void… But I found somebody that takes the pain away; I found Nick, and by a miracle, I'm still here right now because of him."

Diana's eyebrows pop up and then she looks at me like I had just told her the most horrifying thing on the planet. "You tried to kill yourself?"

I bow my head, feeling the horror and the shame of what I almost did course through my body. Wanting to cry so badly, I look up at Diana with pained eyes; I couldn't really say it without stumbling over words. "Yeah, I almost did. Guess that what happens when you're left alone around knives, huh? But the thought of living for the both of us, it made me stronger. I knew she was in a better place; a place where the flames couldn't touch her."

"Oh God, I didn't even know… I'm so sorry I asked that question…" Diana says, looking up at me through watery brown eyes.

I smile at her gently. "It's okay, Diana. I haven't even told Nick that yet; but hey, because of the Circle, I found peace after my mother's passing. Like you said Diana, we will find our strength in our Circle. You guys are my strength. Now let us be yours."

Diana beams at me like the weight of the world has just been lifted from her shoulders. She starts up another conversation and then we are turning into giggles and laughs as we sip away at coffee, not caring for anything else other than what we care about; now we know that in our Circle, there's strength, and that our loved ones are in better places. As we jabber away, I hear a voice behind me and then I look behind my body to see Melissa scurrying around to avoid something. She sends Faye in, pulling me from the booth and I shrug at Diana when she points to Melissa who is hiding behind me like she's a lunatic. Melissa drags me from the Coffee Shop, finally scurrying outside.

"Thank you for coming out here! Matt Conant has been gone for two years and I've had an outfit for this _exact _day and this isn't it!" Melissa chirps, looking at me with wide black eyes.

"Melissa, what the hell is wrong with you? What do you have with Matthew Conant?" I ask.

"Dated him two years ago; we were a total power couple and then he kicked my ass to the curb randomly. So now he decides to show up in Chance Harbor on a boat like some kind of sea-faring vagabond and promptly decides to spread his charm on all of the girls here; and please don't be one of those girls!"

I stare at her like she has lost everything when I see Nick walk up with Jake and then I smile lightly. Nick runs up, taking me into his arms and spins me around. I laugh silently and then he keeps his hand on my back gently.

"Hello there beautiful," Nick says, smiling cheekily at me. "Hey there, physco."

Melissa eyes him and then Nick cocks his eyebrows. I shake my head and then I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I yank it out, reading the text message.

"Nick and Jake, handle Melissa. I've gotta go home because Grandma is freaking out over nothing- literally," I reply, throwing my purse over my shoulder. "Tell Faye to keep an eye on Diana for me!"

"I will, Cassie. Be careful driving, okay?" Nick says, placing a kiss to my forehead.

I smile up at him and then jump into Nick's truck because he gives me his keys to drive home with. I wonder what is up with my Grandmother as I drive home, something not feeling right inside of me. I got this exact feeling when I took off from the house the night Mom died and I knew something bad might happen. I brace myself, pulling Nick's truck into my driveway, hopping out. Unlocking the door, I can faintly imagine something like a scary movie with the scary shark music and somebody saying: "Don't you dare go inside there!" Nothing seems out of the ordinary when something falls, a black headed girl popping out from behind the door frame. I screech and she charges at me. And there's something silver and gleaming in her hand and she slashes at me, leaving an open gash on my arm. That's when I hear somebody speak low, comforting words.

"_Burning star, blood red eye." _That's Matt's voice.

He pulls me up, telling me to help him. We repeat the words over and then the girl's eyes turn blood red and she starts wailing, running back to the place from where she came from. Matt's arms are around me protectively and I'm shaking too much to make myself stop. I hold my blood-gushing arm, hoping that it'd stop and Matt lets out a sigh of relief, looking down at me.

"Please tell me you're okay. Oh God, she's got you," Matt says, looking down at my bloody arm and clothing.

He makes me sit down on the couch, running upstairs to search for a first-aid kit I presume. I look around the living room, my heart thumping way too fast. It made me feel like something other than a crazy person could jump out from under furniture or behind walls; I didn't feel alone…and not in a good way. Matt's voice fills my body once again with a soothing comfort and he quickly sits beside of me, looking down at my gash. His nimble and quick fingers wipe blood away with a cloth and then he brings medicines over it, wrapping it gently in a bandage.

"You're okay?" he asks, looking at me with panicked eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I say softly. "It just shook me up a little bit."

Matt nods and then disposes of the medical materials, sitting beside of me again. "You remind me of Adam."

He jumps, looking down at me again. "What did you say, Cassie?"

"I said you remind me of Adam," I mumble quietly.

"How so?" Matt asks, his green eyes pained by something.

"Just by how much you worry and care," I whisper.

Matt's lips twist into a gentle smile and then I find myself leaning against him for some odd reason. His body is automatic to hold mine and then he melts into the shape of my arms, allowing me to lean against him. "You're okay…"

I slap him a little bit harder than I intend to. "I've said it three times already. Ask it again and I won't be responsible for my own actions."

Matt bursts out into laughter and I see somebody more than a damaged boy come out from behind his walls. This boy right here is the living embodiment of Adam Conant except for the fact that he has green eyes and blonde hair. "Nice to know that, Cassie. You know things were never like this, right?"

I shake my head, my eyes drooping closed. "How?"

"I was never the person that Melissa and the rest of them think me to be. I'm not a monster; I'm none of that, Cassie," Matt says as I start drifting off into another land where I'm sure my mother and Adam will be waiting on me to visit them again. "Cassie?"

"Huh?" I ask tiredly.

"What are you gonna dream about?"

"Mom and Adam," I mutter and I feel Matt's lips on my forehead.

He gently lies me down on the couch, pulling a blanket over my petite body. "Tell them I said hi, okay? Sleep well, Cassie."

That's one of the last things I remember before I'm pulled off into a dream land where my mother is there and Adam is pulling me into his arms, laughing and asking about Diana as we run over grassy plains and my mother and I talk on the subject of Nick over and over again. And this is the first good-dream I've since my mother passed in the fire and Adam left this world so suddenly in that shallow pool of water.

…

I awake the next morning after sleeping soundly for the first time in almost two months, my arms really sore as I start moving around and I note that more blood is starting to soak through the bandage. Pushing myself up, I wrap it again and get rid of the evidence that says I was brutally attacked by a chick dressed up like the Ninja Assassin. I take two pain pills, trudging upstairs to pull some more clothing on. I finally decide on a pair a jeans, a tank top, and something else to go over it to hide my bandaged arm. Silently I stumble downstairs, rubbing my eyes and manage to eat some form of breakfast with my good arm. I was worn out, honestly. Sometimes I don't know why I don't climb back into my bed and close my eyes and let the world of dreams engulf me again, hoping I'd see Nick, Jake, or possibly Matt. I'm about to go out to town to get some coffee when Nick catches me coming outside. I smile at him and he hugs me hard, his arm pressing down on the gash. I let out a pained squeak and he pulls back, looking down at me.

"Cassie, what happened?" he asks and I shake my head.

"Nothing happened. You hugged me a little too hard," I lie, trying to hide the pain behind an innocent smile.

"You are the worst liar ever, Blake. C'mon, what happened to you? Cough it up or I will search you down."

I roll my eyes, revealing my bandage to him and he touches it without it hurting, just like Matt did. He frowns and then laces his fingers through mine. "Cassie, what happened?"

It takes me a few minutes to explain and then he hugs me gently, stroking my hair. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. And you said Matt was there to help? That he stayed until you fell asleep?"

I nod and then Nick lets out a sigh of relief. "Well thank God he was. Maybe I can look at him as something else now that he's shown himself good as something," Nick chuckles.

"But he is good at everything. Nick, I saw a side of him last night I'm sure nobody hasn't seen," I answer and then Nick shakes his head.

"Don't let him lie to you; that is all he is, okay? Please, for the love of all things holy, stay away from him before he hurts you," Nick whispers.

I nod and then I rest my head on his chest, my arms winding around him and he kisses my forehead again. I hold him close to me like that until I see Grandma's car some down the road and I smile gently. I let him go, waving and then he lets me go reluctantly. I follow my grandmother inside and then she smirks at me.

"So what is with you and that Armstrong boy, hmm?" she asks and I laugh.

"You are just like Mom! We're just friends!" I call after her into the kitchen.

"That looked more than friendly, love!" Grandma calls. "Cassie, I heard about what happened. That Matt Conant boy is such a nice young fellow for telling me what happened here. This is for you, dear. It's a crystal; it magnifies you powers. It wards off demons and many other things that are…supernaturally involved."

"Grandma, there were these symbols I saw over at Jake Armstrong's house. They were in the shape of a crescent."

Grandma just shakes her head and then smiles at me. "It means that there's…eviler things here in Chance Harbor."

I nod and then I stare down at the Crystal with curious eyes. I can feel my power running through it and back towards me and I…love it more than anything. Shaking myself out of my reverie, I smile at my grandma before sliding it into my bag. With a goodbye, I scurry out of the door and then I finally remember about Adam's Wake…

…

I don't think I've ever seen anything so sad. Mr. Conant has lost his God ever loving mind and Diana is clinging onto me so hard I'm losing my breath and I can't even cry because all I've had was cried out when I saw Diana melting into nothing. Nick came along with Jake and Matt came, making me smile lightly. Faye and Melissa popped in somewhere, though and I passed Diana off to them, standing beside of Nick and Jake.

"You've been crying," Nick replies, looking down at my red eyes and puffy nose.

I nod and then sniffle a little bit; leaning against Nick when I hear footsteps and then promptly Matt walks over and punches him one time. The two start trying to swing at each other and I take hold of Matt and Jake grabs Nick. The youngest Armstrong eyes me and I glare back at him, shaking my head as I push Matt outside of the Boat House and then he starts taking in angry breathes.

"Hey, calm down! That was both of your guys' faults!" I quip, looking at the blonde boy who is massaging his knuckles.

"He's telling you lies, Cassie! You've gotta believe me when I say that I don't know what the hell he's talking about!" Matt says, his voice rough and unsettling.

"Matthew, I believe you. You've gotta calm down, though." He nods and then grabs a chair, sitting in it and then invites me into the one next to him. There's nothing but complete silence and then he strikes up a conversation.

"So where are you from?" Matt asks.

"I was born here, in Chance Harbor, but my mother moved to California when I was still a baby," I reply.

Matt nods, smiling down at me. "I was born here, too. I'm just a year old than Adam was… we lost our mother when we were babies, too. She died in a fire…"

I feel tears start leaking down my cheeks and Matt looks down at me with suffering eyes as if it killed him to watch me become like this. "My mother died less than two months ago…"

Matt reaches over, wrapping his arm around me gently. "It'll get better, I promise."

"But it's not," I mumble and then he shakes his head.

We smile at each other and then start chattering away again on happier moments in our lives when I hear a voice call out. That sounds just like the Ninja creep that attacked me last night… Matt stands up and then hides me behind him protectively.

"I thought I told you to get lost, Simone? No, not this girl. This is the one that stays," Matt says. "And I'll be _damned _if Jacob Armstrong lays a finger on her."

"Then I'll do it myself," Simone says and then they start fighting.

That's when I notice that Matt could get shivved with some mid-evil spear looking thing I suddenly remember I put the crystal in my pocket and I just have to throw my arm around to make Simone stop and drop, Matt scuffling over to me shakily. Just as she gets back up, there's something that happens. I feel Matt merge with me and then I stare up at him with surprised and confused eyes and Simone goes flying back by her neck with a little magical effort. I'm terrified at myself with what I just did and Matt makes me sit down and I stare at him with horrified eyes. He just smiles, studying my small body and then we just sit out there for a while, letting our nerves unwind. Soon after, Matt quietly walks me home because I let Faye use my car to take Diana back home; Matt said he didn't want me to go unprotected. Matt and I stand on the front of the porch, looking at each other with bright and friendly eyes despite what has happened today.

"Cassie, I hope whatever happened today…" Matt says but I cut him off.

"Matt, I'm just shaken up and confused. I'm sure after I go to sleep, all of the jitters might go away…" I reply and Matt smiles at me.

"Cassie, this is my number, okay? Call me if you need anything, because I'm here…" Matt says.

I nod and then smile at him before scribbling down my number on his hand. "Good night, Matthew."

Before I walk inside, he grabs my hand, looking at me through wide eyes. "And be careful of Jake Armstrong. He's…not stable, if you know what I mean. When I said that Jake wouldn't touch you, there's an entire story behind the man that Nick claims innocent."

I nod and then Matt presses his lips to my forehead and I run inside, closing my door at the thought of having Nick and Matt, and maybe even Jake falling for me. And it wasn't a good thought either. As I walk, I feel a tremor wrack my spine and I don't know, but I thought I saw a pair of leaf green eyes staring at Matt and me.

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**So, what did you think of this chapter? Please give me lots of reviews! The more reviews the faster I will update! Anyways, the next episode will be "Masked" and I have a bunch of ideas running through my head. Cassie may or may not pick the guys she wants, Nick/Cassie's relationship may crumble, and a life may be taken at the complete stupidness of a certain blonde teenager… and please pick one of the numbers below. If you have more suggestions, leave them in the reviews or PM me!**

_**1. Cassie falls helplessly for Matt after she figures out Nick may be teamed up with Jake.**_

_**2. A Circle member loses their life because of a certain blonde teenager.**_

_**3. Matt and Nick have a little brawl over who gets Cassie.**_

_**4. All of the above!**_

**Until next time on The Secret Circle…**


	7. Masked

**Hope you guys like this chapter! We'll have all kinds of excitement, fights for two certain boys, and a love slowly builds up. And to hezzy76, the person who has pretty much reviewed all of my stories since the beginning, I'll do my best to keep Nick/Cassie together for you; depends on what mood I'm in and of course, Matt is now Chance Harbor's biggest dreamboat. Also, I put a few twists in, too. Anyways, there will be a poll set up on my profile page to have Cassie with either Nick or Matt by the end of this story. And here is the disclaimer I always fail to put!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Secret Circle or any of its characters except Matt!**

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Matt and I found ourselves a lot closer after Adam's wake. We spend a lot of time together now; normally we team up together in school a bunch of the time and he's over at my house every day where we goof around all day. It's a rather close relationship with him now, but there are a few bumps in that. Nick, who is now very jealous and irritated over me, watches Matt and me like a hawk when we're in his line of sight; Melissa has learned that Matt and I have a relationship and she's always giving me pointers on why he's bad and whatever; the rest of it is just feeling bad for Diana that I teamed with her late boyfriend's older brother. I just hope to God that I can find a way to make it work; the only one who is even encouraging me to be with him is Faye who says I need a "love life;" I guess that is the way best friends work now.

"Cassie! C'mon, lazy! Get up!" a voice calls and I feel a body jumping around on my bed. "We're going Halloween shopping!"

I jump up, rubbing my eyes. My eyes meet Matt and Faye's and I eye him. Why on God's green earth would they force me to get up at 10:00 to go Halloween shopping? Matt dives down next to me, somehow getting under my covers and I screech when he plants a kiss on my face; I'm just glad it wasn't my lips. I scramble off of my bed and fall into a heap on the floor. Faye is laughing so hard she collapses into a chair, holding her chest as I sit up, eying him evilly. I soon sink back down onto the floor where I promptly curl up on my soft rug, my eyes closing again and Matt's hands wrap around my small body and he pulls me up quickly but gently.

"Wake up, Cass! C'mon, we've got a lot of stuff to do!" Matt screeches. He spins me in circles while holding me to his chest and I end up laughing, too.

Matt puts me down on my feet, gently pulling down my shirt that lifted a little bit. I blush and Matt snickers, stroking my cheek gently. Rolling my eyes, I flick him upside the head playfully. "Okay, we'll go. Meet me downstairs, okay?"

He nods and grabs the raven-headed witch beside of him, pulling her downstairs as she still howls with laughter. I run over to my closet, picking out clothing quickly. All it really is a long-sleeved black shirt and a pair of blue skinny jeans. I wince a little bit at my arm, gently pulling my mother's leather jacket around my shoulders and walk downstairs after fixing my hair. Matt and Faye are raiding my refrigerator of everything breakfast wise and I roll my eyes at them. Matt smiles gently before shoving toast into his mouth and then guzzles down orange juice quickly; he gently pushes a few pieces of toast over my way and then something to drink. I smile at him gently and then look at Faye who is trying to work my blender after having chopped up several fruits and vegetables for a smoothie.

"Do you guys have food at your houses?" I ask as I finish my orange juice.

Matt smiles gently before taking a piece of toast from my plate. "Yeah, but I can't cook. I think the same is for Faye."

I just roll my eyes, surrendering the rest of my food over to Matt and then he shells out about two hundred dollars worth of money. I cock my eyebrows at him and then shake the two hundred dollar bills at him. "Now what kind of Halloween junk are we buying with this stuff?"

"You, my dear, are going with Faye to buy Halloween decorations while I go and buy the food and drinks," he replies.

"Will some of those drinks be beer or liquor?" Faye asks as she sips at her drink.

Matt nods and then takes our empty plate, placing them in the sink before grabbing his jacket and the rest of his money that rests on the counter. He flicks Faye on the head and gives me a kiss to the cheek before leaving and I find myself blushing a deeper red than ever in front of Faye as she wolf whistles.

"You and Matt are the next power couple!" Faye calls, dancing around my kitchen before I throw an apple at her and then shove the 200 dollars in my pocket. I grab Faye by the collar of her jacket and proceed to drag her outside towards my car as she laughs too loudly.

"Oh, shut up," I say, making her go towards the passenger's side.

…

Faye suggested we had better go to this creepy looking voodoo shop for some Halloween shopping and I didn't think to argue with her. The place was very…Halloweenish to me in every aspect. So that left me and Faye searching through decorations, making sure that they were creepy looking enough; she said that we were taking this party to the extreme and that it'd take forever to get the stuff down before my grandmother came home… As I look at streamers, I look over my shoulder to see that Faye has draped herself in nothing but a beaded necklace.

"So, what do you think I should be? Sexy witch doctor or slutty Red Riding Hood?" Faye asks, making me laugh a little bit.

"Anything less revealing," I reply, turning my head because I'm currently thinking about finding a mind-erasing spell.

"Okay, slutty Red Riding Hood it is!" Faye says, squealing at her costume and then scrambles over to me after putting her shirt back on.

As she says some things, she brings up the topic of dates. Okay, there are three boys here that could take three of the Circle girls out, so she chirps over the fact that I'd better choose one. I don't know what it is about Faye trying to get all up in my love life, but she's helping me along the way. She admits to wanting to ask out Jake and I chuckle at that; those two have hated each other from Melissa's point of view since they were babies… I've actually been between asking Nick and Matt and I think that Matt may be the number one choice for me.

"So, who are you picking? C'mon, the party's tonight!" Faye says, throwing a fake spider and me and I shriek.

I shudder when the thing finally falls to the floor and then eye the girl who has been my best friend since I've been here. She nods, knowing what's running through my head and then she gives me a smile that runs across her face from ear to ear. Faye smiling like that means I'm in for something big… "Cassie, you know that Matt is head over heels for you…and so is Nick, unfortunately."

"Yeah, I know that. It's horrible that I'm totally hot…" I say and then Faye bursts into a fit of laughter.

"I've seen you and Matt and I think he's the first candidate for you," Faye says, winking a little bit. "I'll set Melissa up with Nick again, that way you don't have to worry about anything."

I nod and then give Faye a hug, squeaking as the inner five year old decided to jump out from inside of me. We both end up laughing, gathering the rest of the supplies and scramble to the desk, Faye's phone already out to dial up the rest of the Circle. The man who runs the store looks at me with confused eyes as I hand him my credit card and something very creepy happens…the mirror behind us breaks. I give a small cough before looking back at Faye and then the both of us scramble off towards the car, jumping inside.

"Cassie, what the hell was that?" Faye asks as she throws our items into the back seat of my car.

"I don't know, Chamberlain. C'mon, let's go get the boys together so they can decorate for us," I say and Faye and I drive off, laughing wildly.

…

If my mother could see my decorating skills paired along with Faye's, she'd say that I need serious work to my designing skills. With Faye holding me up, we teeter back and forth trying to put up fake cobwebs while Jake, Nick, Melissa, Diana, and Matt do other things. I cling to the top of the doorway leading to the kitchen where Matt is putting out snacks and of course, filling up beer cups. Faye, who looks stronger than any girl I've ever seen, is saying I'm too heavy and is almost ready to collapse.

"Suck it up, Faye! You better be lucky that it isn't Nick or Fatty who is helping Melissa!" I say, shrieking when Faye's legs give out. Jake kicked out Faye's legs the moment I called him the name and Matt is quick to rescue me, holding me easily in one arm while Faye clings to his legs.

"You know you get on my nerves?" I ask, looking at Jake.

"Love you, Cassie!" he yells, taking a swig of beer and walks off.

I eye him and then allow Matt to put me firmly down on the ground. Faye stands up and Matt laughs at our horrible craftsmen ship and then he reaches up to the doorway, fixing the cobweb carefully. Faye and I snicker at him and then he looks down at us.

"You know it's bad when a boy has more skills in design than girls," Faye says, wiggling her eyebrows and we start snickering a little.

Matt smiles at me and then bats Faye in the head. Matt and Faye pair up after I refuse to mess with the decorations anymore and I start walking towards the living room to pair up with Diana when I see a scrap of silver on the floor. I bend down quietly, picking it up to see a symbol carved into it and I remember the girl's knife and I stand up, looking at it with wide eyes. Jake is walking towards me, his blue eyes sparkling with something and he's walking like a run way model…funniest thing ever right now. Recovering from my moment of pure bliss, I hold it up and Jake's eyebrows shoot up.

"What is that?" he asks quietly.

"It's a piece of the knife that a Hunter attacked me with," I mumble.

Jake's eye grew rather panicked at those words like I've said something that has changed a master plan of his. I eye him and then I look past his body to see Matt staring back at him, his eyes showing something I haven't seen before… He gives me a comforting look and then gestures towards me to come with him and I smile a little bit. I walk past Jake and I can feel the magic tie up in knots in his stomach in certain places. Matt places a hand on my shoulder and then I look up at him.

"What is it? Did he bother you?" Matt asks.

I shake my head. "No, he didn't. When I showed him this, it's like something happened with him," I say and then Matt smiles, brushing back a few pieces of hair behind my ear.

"Hey, don't you worry. Please stay away from Jake, Cassie. He's nothing but trouble, and Nick makes it seem like he's a saint or something. When I told that Hunter I wouldn't let Jake touch you, I'm staying true to that vow," Matt says, making me smile gently.

Nodding, Matt and I end up chattering away when Nick's body storms over, pushing Matt violently and the bigger teenager falls onto a table, taking out the supports and everything. Of course, things started getting dirty right around the time Matt stood up, drawing back his fist and Nick's body flinched once and he stumbled backwards and they end up in a yelling match.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Conant?! I thought I said to stay away from her!" Nick screams, sizing Matt up to see what extent of damage he can inflict on him.

Matt makes his bleeding hands into fists and scoffs down at Nick. "Clearly Cassie wants me to be around her. Now I don't know what your deal is but you can quit stalking her when she's with me! The only people threatening her are you and that jackass you call your brother!"

I run up towards the two, breaking it up and I don't think Nick was fully aware that I was in-between then and his fist made contact with my lower back and pain radiates through that certain area and down into my legs. I bite my lip to make the tears stop from coming and then I stand up when the two are going at it again and Nick is on the floor, groaning as Matt's large body stands over him. I stomp over towards them, pushing them apart and I give Nick the dirtiest look I know of.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" I scream, watching as they look at me. I was so angry at him and partly because Nick's fist decided to meet my back. "Nick, get out!"

"But Cassie, I didn't…" Nick trails off because partly I am getting even angrier with him by the second.

"I said GET OUT! If you don't want to see me and Matt together, go somewhere else! I'm tired of you playing stalker! NOW GO!" I yell, pushing him a little bit and he eyes me.

Stomping his way from the house, Jake follows after shoving past me and I run over to Matt, wrapping my arms around him as he holds me close to his body, rubbing the small of my back as if to soothe the pain rushing around that area.

"It's okay; I promise that he won't hurt you again," Matt mumbles as I hide my head between his shoulder and the crook of his neck.

I pull back a little bit and then study his face that is sticky with drying blood and I reach my hand up to dry some of it away. Matt leans into my touch and my heart flutters and butterflies start fluttering in my stomach wildly. I don't know what it is about this boy, but I've fallen completely for him. We offer each other a small smile and then he gently strokes my back, resting the other hand on my shoulder where Jake shoved past me.

"That was a little bit too much… C'mon, we've got a party to get ready for, Matt," I reply, looking around to study the damage that happened to the room. The only thing that got totally demolished was the table that I'm sure we'll have to replace before Grandma Jane gets back. "You seem a little too small to do that much damage to a table that big…"

Matt chuckles, wrapping his arm around me gently; he leads me off towards the kitchen to help set up the rest of the tables and then helps me decorate the place a little bit more. Through it all he stands right next to me and somehow, I find that I can barely take my eyes off of him.

…

I had decided to go down to the shop where we got all of the decorations; the man there could help me out a little bit because he knew some creepy things about Witch Craft and all of that other junk. Besides, the only reason I'm out is because Matt said I needed to go and cool off a little bit and clear my head because of the little fight he and Nick decided to have. I have questions about the piece of the knife Simone slashed me with and I couldn't get my mind off of that symbol. Walking into the shop, I see him standing at the front desk having been rather shaken up and I cock my eyebrows. The man stiffens up when he sees me and then looks at me with wide eyes.

"Umm, could you tell me some things? There's something about this symbol…" I reply and then he shakes his head.

"I'm sorry…I can't help you, Miss Blake… I suggest it'd be better that you leave," he says while I stare at him.

I try to form something from the words he has said, my mind spinning wildly as I stutter over words to say. Deciding not to bother him, I start towards the door only to see a display that catches my eye. It looks just like the knife the Hunter used… I pull out my phone, snapping a picture quickly and then walk out of the shop, acting like the sweet, innocent sixteen year old I should be. I suddenly decide to take a quick detour towards the Abandoned House where I knew Faye would be finding some things and Matt would most likely be there to make a healing spell; guess I could show them what I found. I make a sharp turn towards the deserted road, smiling to myself when I see Faye and Matt's cars and I jump out of the vehicle after shutting the engine off. I walk inside quietly, two pairs of green eyes meeting my blue ones and then Matt's smile turns into a frown when he sees my facial expression.

"What is it, Cassie?" he asks as I show him the picture.

"That's it. The knife that the Hunter stabbed me with looked somewhat like this…see, the symbols are _exactly _the same," I answer as I fidget around, unable to stay still.

Matt nods and then points to the computer where we all team up, plugging it up quickly. In front of our eyes multiple images pop up and then it lands on information of the thing. The symbol is shown and then Faye scrolls down quickly to see words written. It belongs to a society of Witch Hunters…yay.

…

The girls and I teamed up for getting ready for the Halloween party and we ended up almost killing ourselves over the fact that the costumes we had were too tight. Having just squeezed my small body into a smaller costume, Melissa and I stretched out Faye's costume and as if on time, it ripped a little bit, but that made Faye all the happier as we braided her hair silently. Diana helped me with my hair piece, laughing at me when I grabbed the plastic gun up and I laughed with her… Yeah, a killer bee was the costume I ended up picking out…and it's the fact that I've always been some sort of bee for Halloween since I was little. I don't know what Diana ended up as, but I know that I laughed so hard that I was on the floor curled into a ball while I laughed and cried.

"Nothing can ruin this H..." Faye says, but Matt walks in all decked out in a good looking gladiator suit.

I whistle over the amount of exposed skin shown and he blushes, walking over to me. "You, Miss Blake, are too beautiful. Killer bee, huh?" Matt asks and I blush when he touches my bare shoulder.

I faintly imagine him running his lips over my shoulder when I feel my face turn into another shade of dark red and Matt chuckles. He holds out his hand and I lace my fingers through his; Faye squeals at the sight of us and then scrambles downstairs to find Jake who I'm not too happy about letting inside of my house along with his pint-sized brother. Matt and I smile at each other gently and then he bends down to whisper in my ear.

"Let's try to get along with the Armstrongs, okay? I promise that I'll be…semi-nice to Nick," he says and wraps his arm around my waist and pulls back from my ear. "Okay, let's get this party started! I call the beer!"

I laugh as Matt scoops me up in his arms and then ran downstairs with me. He slides down the rails and into a small group of people and the small group including us end up laughing. Faye is already turning on the stereo and I'm thinking that this will be a night to remember. Matt wraps me in his arms and then I blush as he starts leading me into the sea of High School students and asks me to dance with him. But the one thing is that I feel Nick's eyes boring into my back. Matt twirls me around and then shifts me off towards a kid in his grade and I snicker, having fun dancing with the two before Matt presses a kiss to my cheek, moon-walking towards the kitchen to get drinks apparently. I watch as Faye and Jake climb my stairs and I shudder a little bit… Now I can finally bust out of this place. I walk silently towards my door, opening as I slip out into the cool night air. I'd have to sneak into Nick's room to get what I needed and I'll have to be sneaky about it, too. Silently, I walk over to the Armstrong house and I place my hand on the knob to see that it is unlocked. I roll my eyes at their lack of safety precautions and then step inside, walking upstairs to Nick's room. Poking around, I look from across the room and into mine and I am terrified at the sight of Faye and Jake hooking up.

"C'mon, not in my room," I whisper harshly, looking around.

Nick's room looks like something close to a landfill because of all of the clothing strewn around on almost every object of furniture. I'm actually thinking about just giving this up all together and then I see a piece of gleaming silver in the moonlight, my eyes darting towards it with wonder. I pick it up, looking at the symbol on it to see the too familiar Witch Hunter sign. Pain and betrayal swarms me and I feel a few tears slide down my face at the thought of Nick being one of them. I clutch it tightly and I jump when I hear Nick's voice, my lower lip starting to quiver.

"Cassie, what're you doing in here?" Nick asks, his voice sounding a little happy, but it's irritated too.

I hold up the knife that I knew that Hunter attacked me with, pointing towards the symbol and Nick steps forward, shaking his head. He takes away the knife gently, which wasn't at all what I expected, and then he takes my hands in his.

"Whose knife is that?" I ask, afraid he'll become angry with me.

Nick places his hand on my cheek, placing his lips on my forehead gently. "That knife belongs to Jake."

My eyes bore into his and Nick gently combs his fingers through my hair, placing his hand on my waist. I place my head on his shoulder and he rubs my back soothingly. We stand there for a few moments before we starts to part slowly and Nick gently wipes away the tear on my cheek.

"What's wrong?" Nick asks, his voice sweet and gentle. "Did I upset you?"

"No, you didn't," I murmur, my voice shaky with anger and sorrow at the thought of having the ones I love turn against us. "It's the thought of having Jake turn against the Circle."

Nick sighs, quietly hugging me against his masculine body and I nuzzle at his neck. For the first time in a while, I love being back in his arms. I love the way he used to hold me and so many other things before Matt sailed into town; but still, we don't have the connection Matt and I formed. His hand touches the small of my back where he accidently hit me and I feel his hears hit my shoulder, too.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Cassie," he says, his fingers running up and down the bruise he knows nothing about.

"It's okay; it's all in the past now," I whisper as he holds me tightly.

"You know what, I'm sorry, too," I voice says and then I feel a cloth come over my mouth, Nick's body being dragged off and everything goes black from that moment on.

…

I wake up, my head spinning wildly. My vision is dull and I feel I can't breathe as I come into consciousness. A low groan sounds from my mouth and I can hear two male voices calling my name, asking questions. I try and pull my hands and I start pulling a little too hard and blood pours down my wrists.

"Cassie, stop that! We've been trying to bust this joint for hours and Nick has almost sliced his hands off," Matt says, making me wish I could run to him.

I nod, twisting my body around to see that Matt is sitting in a chair, zip-cuffed to the thing as he struggles to get out. We give each other terrified looks and then he tries to offer a comforting smile to me. "Matt, where are we?"

"We're on some kind of boat; that much I know," Matt answers and then I watch as a knife slides from his jacket. I smile at him and then I start looking around the room and my eyes land on six viles full of blood, a dried flower, and a personal item.

My eyes fill with fear and tremors start wracking my body. The rest of the Circle is looking at me and my eyes meet both Matt's and Nick's green ones. Matt nods, telling me it's okay and I see that his hands are free of the zip-cuffs. My eyes snap over to see Jake standing at the viles and then he looks down at me with regretful eyes. He walks over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders, bending down in front of me.

"Stay away from me!" I yell and then Jake shakes his head.

"I'm so sorry it had to be this way, Cassie. Because of my family…I'm doing this for them…" Jake says, trailing off on his words.

I eye him, feeling tears stream down my face that blind me. Jake's thumb comes to wipe them away as I cringe away from him. "You have a family, Jake! You have Nick! You have the Circle!" I say angrily. "Nick is your family, for crying out loud."

"But you don't understand, Cassie," Jake says, standing up to walk back over to the table.

"Yeah, I do understand! Jake, Nick loves you. The Circle loves you! Jake, I love you," I blurt out before I can stop myself.

Jake stops in mid-step at the table, dropping the unlit match and then I hear his raspy breathing and he looks back at me with tear filled eyes. He finally comes running towards me, dropping behind my chair and quickly starts to unbind my ropes. As he does so, I watch a Hunter start to get a match and I recognize the ring belonging to Diana. What happens next is unexplainable, but emotions and feelings well up inside of me and Jake is starting to uncut the others quickly.

"NO!" I scream and then I watch as the Hunter's body sets in flames.

All of us quickly run outside towards the docks and Jake stays beside of me the entire way, clutching my hand in his and I realize I'm now stuck in a war between two boys. On the docks, Diana and I end up clutching each other, sobbing for God knows what reason since the fear has long since faded away. I pull back from her body silently and then look at the three boys that have turned my life upside down, and then flipped it right back up. Jake brings me into his arms, giving me a tight hug and then his lips gingerly touch my forehead.

"I'm so sorry," Jake says. "I'm sorry."

"Jake, calm down. Listen to me, you're forgiven. We're all safe and sound, and that's all that matters right now," I say quickly and he nods, drying away tears that drips down my face.

"Conant, take care of her. I'll lead the Hunters from your trail for the time being, okay? When it is safe to come back, I'll be waiting out on the docks for you, Cassie. And please, Blake, for the love of all things holy, be careful and don't wind up killing yourself. And when you said I love you, I want you to know I feel the same. I love you, Cassie," he says, his voice becoming hoarse.

I smile gently at him and then reach up on my tip-toes, gently kissing him on the forehead. "Always, Jake."

He smiles before jumping onto the boat, leaving me behind as Matt walks up beside of me, wrapping his arm around my waist. I wrap my arms around him, not caring for anything else right now. I just hide my head into his chest, sniffling a little bit and he hushes me, pressing a kiss to my forehead and gently sways side to side. I look behind myself to see Nick and Melissa standing next to each other, holding onto each other like a pipe-line. I smile and then look up at Matt and he holds me tightly against his chest. The boat now having been sailing away at an alarming rate, I can imagine Jake staring back at me with a tearful expression, but… Silently, Matt hoists me into the air, spinning me in circles. I laugh through the tears and then Matt swings me onto his back, dancing a victory dance. We leave the others behind, walking hand in hand down the docks and towards the beach. Matt and I sit on a log, looking out into the ocean. He pulls his jacket around my small body and I lean against him, clinging onto his body tightly.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Matt mutters into my hair, his larger hand rubbing soothing circles onto my back.

I smile, leaning into his touch and my eyes meet his as we become accustomed to one another. Matt leans down a little bit, and I watch as he comes closer to me and then his lips meet mine. His hands cup the sides of my face, his thumbs stroking my cheeks gently. Matt is gentle with me, his lips molding with mine easily, his hands exploring my body. I pull back, resting my forehead against his and we smile at each other.

"Would you give me the chance to show you that all things aren't bad in this world? You won't regret it," Matt says.

I smile and then a final kiss is shared before my body rests against his, my eyes fluttering closed. But as that happens, something stirs inside of me and I feel like something is wrong…

* * *

**Now I wouldn't have let this chapter slip without somebody falling in love. I'll be damned if there isn't any romance in this because I was feeling all butterflies and things today, so there you have it. REMINDER: There is a poll on my profile! VOTE! Now you have some choices below.**

_**Nick finds out about Matt/Cassie.**_

_**Cassie and Matt get into an argument over Nick**_

**If you'd like to leave more suggestions, leave them in the reviews or PM me!**


	8. Beneath

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long! School has been getting on my nerves and I was in the hospital with a broken leg…yay…. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter and please vote on the poll for my profile page! When we get to the episode "Curse," I'm ending it ever so happily****. Until then I hope you enjoy this chapter and please give me a lot of reviews! BTW, things in this episode will be changed up quite a bit**

* * *

_Cassie's P.O.V_

She hasn't come back since the night of the Halloween party and I'm scared to death. Grandma said she'd be back soon, but that doesn't really help me out much since it's been about a day or two. There's been a lot of stress in the Circle since Adam's death and then when Jake left trying to ward off Hunters… Faye is pissed, Diana is still in an upside down sort of state, Melissa isn't too keen on me being with Matt, and Nick is just one brooding ball of jealously. Sounds like fun, huh?

"Are you okay?" Matt asks as he walks inside of the house, sitting next to me.

I smile at him gently, leaning into to place a kiss to his lips. "Just a little worried is all; my Grandmother hasn't been home since the Halloween party." Matt nods, placing another kiss to my lips and then to my forehead, pulling me down with him to lie on the couch.

"I've noticed that," Matt says, pushing a few pieces of blonde hair behind my ear. "And you said she wandered off to see Henry Chamberlain, right?"

I nod as Matt intertwines our hands and he sighs, allowing his free hand to stroke my waist gently. Matt… Since Halloween night we've been together and things were good; the fact that Melissa and Nick weren't supporters on our relationship made things awkward, but we're still finding ways through that. I love being with him- it takes away the edge of my mother's death and I'm able to give my love to somebody else.

"Hey, it'll be okay. And since that thing with the Hunters, you've been a little on the flip side. Is there anything wrong?" Matt asks and I prop myself up on an elbow.

"What I did when that Hunter took the Witch's Crued…I mean there was no group magic or anything involved-it was all me," I mutter and Matt smiles, placing his lips to my forehead.

"I wouldn't worry about it…but to find out more about it, let's dial Faye up to find Jane and creep through Henry's Book of Shadows," Matt says and I smile brightly at him. "Do we have a deal there, beautiful?"

"Yeah, we do; c'mon, I'll dial up Diana and Faye…can you tackle Nick for me?" I ask and Matt nods. He places a chaste kiss to my lips and then I stand up, going into the kitchen to find my cell phone. I quickly find my contacts and click on Diana's number, hearing the phone ring. After two or three rings, I'm welcomed by Diana's voice that is sounding happier than ever.

"_Cassie! What're you doing?" _Diana asks, her voice still full of sleep, though.

"I wanted to know if you could come on a little road trip… I need to find some things out," I say.

"_Yeah, I'll tag along. Cassie, you sound worried? Is there a problem?" _Diana says.

"I haven't seen my grandmother in two days and there's book there that I need to read… I think that there's something more to what I did when the Hunters caught us."

"_I'll be right over… Let me dial up Faye and then we'll be right on schedule!" _Diana chirps and I smile lightly.

"Thanks Diana; talk to you in a little while," I say and then hang up, looking over at Matt who is red faced, eyes teeming with irritation. I frown and then sit next to him, drawing my legs to my chest. I allow my fingers to dance across his cheek and he takes my hand, kissing it gently.

"Don't worry about me, Cass. Nick's just being himself- a dick," Matt says and I shake my head.

"Why can't you two just get along?" I ask and Matt gives me a look.

He wraps his arms around me, making me smirk and he captures my lips with his. I tangle my fingers into his hair, my hands wandering around his body, but they never go below his mid-waist. Matt chuckles at me, pulling me closer to him and then something about me gives off a warning and I pull back, light headed from kissing him. Matt places his forehead against mine, allowing his fingers to comb through my hair, his other hand poking around at the hem of my sweater.

"Stop teasing me," I say and Matt snickers.

I hug him close to me, burying my head into his chest and he sways side to side. Matt kisses my forehead gently, stroking my back as he murmurs words that calm me down. God, I just wanted to fall apart…right here and right now. The last time I cried was when my mother died…and I just want to get everything out.

"Are you okay?" Matt asks.

"Yeah," I say, my voice starting to turn squeaky.

Matt smiles gently, kissing my forehead. It takes me a few more minutes until I find the strength to pull from his arms, taking his hand in mine as we walk into the living room, opening the door to reveal Nick. He smiles gently at me before giving Matt his signature death glare before walking into the living room. Not even fifteen minutes later Faye and Diana run in like maniacs. I laugh at them and Faye and Diana end up dragging me over to the sofa to sit with them.

"Okay, Diana said we were taking a trip to Grandpa Henry's cabin?" Faye asks, leaning forward.

Matt shoots her a look before talking. "Yep; Cassie's grandmother…hasn't been seen since the party and there's some things that need to be found out…" I smile at Matt gently before directing my gaze to Nick who is staring at the three of us girls like we've committed murder. "What's that look for, Nicholas?"

"Do you think that we'd actually go out in the weather that's going on right now? Chance Harbor's streets are deserted!" Nick snaps.

"It hasn't started yet…and plus it is about an hour drive to the lake house. We can camp out there overnight and wait out the storm until tomorrow," Faye says, a sly smirk climbing onto her face. "And Grandpa Henry has the best liquor stash."

I snicker at the thought of everybody being drunk- well especially me. Diana just shakes her head before grabbing her car keys, pointing out towards the car and I eye her a little bit before Matt gives me my jacket and we scurry off to the car because it is staring to rain. So I jump into the back beside of Diana and Matt, Nick and Diana left upfront. The trip is silent for the most part, but Matt asks questions just as soon as Nick and Faye are zonked out and Diana is in her own little world while driving.

"What're you thinking about?" he asks, his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

I lean against him, bringing my jacket closer to my body. "The trips my mother and I would take," I whisper. "What about you?"

"Nothing in particular," he replies. "Dad would take Adam and me on road-trips if he wasn't drunk… We had a very dysfunctional family after Mom died."

I frown, looking up at him. "I'm so sorry… What was her name?"

"Catherine," he whispers. "Don't be, Cass; I don't really remember her, though. I know I have her hair and her green eyes…but what else? What of your father?"

I shake my head, biting my bottom lips. "I never knew him; Mom told me he left us when I was a baby. Sometimes I wonder about him, though; like if he's alive or not, or if he's out there somewhere with a wife and another daughter…"

"There are reasons why everything happens, Cassie. Don't forget that, okay?" Matt kisses my forehead gently. "Your father probably loves you very, very much."

Matt smiles down at me and then I curl up into his side, my eyes fluttering closed and he holds me close to him. The last thing I can remember seeing is Nick's longing green eyes before I doze off into sleep.

…

We got there and much to my dismay, neither Grandma nor Henry was there. Matt looks down at me, his arms wrapped around my waist as we walk inside. Good God…where is she?

"Good God, it is freezing in here!" Faye says as we all huddle together coming inside of the lake house. I stare at her, giving her a look.

"Thanks for stating that, Captain Obvious," I say, my teeth chattering as Matt wraps his jacket around my shoulder, leading me over to the fire place and we start chucking logs inside of it.

"Do you know how to build a fire?" I ask and then Matt snickers.

"I'm sorry, but no, I don't know how to make a fire," he says and I smile at him. "But there's a spell. C'mere, let me show you."

Matt takes my hand, pulling me over to him gently and he takes my other hand. "Thing about fire…" I smile at him gently, allowing my eyes to flutter closed along with his and I feel so powerful doing so. It rushes up around me and fire spreads through my entire body and there's a crackling sound from the fire place and then a sudden spark and I jump, Matt smiling down at me gently. He grabs a chair, sitting in it and he invites me to sit with him. I blush a little bit and he pulls me into his lap, his arms winding around my waist.

"Are you cold anymore?" Matt asks.

I shake my head and lean against him, tucking my head underneath his chin and he sighs in contentment. Matt and I intertwine our hands, murmuring things to each other as Nick flirts with Faye…I swear to God he tries to make me jealous… I just watch as Faye brushes him off and she runs over to Matt and me, handing us two crystal glasses and I look at her.

"Bourbon?" I ask and Faye beams at me.

"Yep; how do you know?"

"Some party when I was fourteen... Gavin Hines spiked the punch with liquor," I say and Faye starts laughing. "I was a happy little girl that night."

I down my first glass and we keep on repeatedly refilling them until we all stumble into the living room, clearly a little bit tipsy. Faye sits down on the couch beside of Diana and me, relaxing against the sofa as she drowns another glass before putting it aside.

"Who wants to play Truth or Dare?" Faye asks, her voice a little slurred. "If you don't do your Truth or Dare, you get your head shaved!"For some reason we all chip in and then I think it gets a little too nasty for my liking. Faye's the first one to pipe up, hiccupping as she looks at Diana.

"Truth or Dare?" Faye asks, looking at her.

"Dare," Diana says.

"I dare you to take your shirt off for the next two rounds."

Diana complies, not bothered by the fact that she has to wear nothing but her bra for the next so many rounds. Faye laughs at her and then Matt chimes in, looking at Faye.

"Truth or Dare, Faye?" he asks.

"Truth," Faye says, smirking a little bit.

"How many guys have you slept with?" Matt asks and that sets tension in the room for everybody.

"Two, Matt; I guess I'm not the super slut you think I am, huh?" Faye quips, eyeing him and then she pinpoints her eyes on me.

"Truth or Dare, Cassie?" Faye asks, eyeing me.

"Dare," I say quietly, almost expecting Faye to come up with the worst dare ever.

"I dare you to kiss Nick," she says and then there's no noise in the room except for my racing heart beat. "Do it or you're getting your head shaved!"

I gulp, walking over to the place where Nick sits and I give Matt a look of regret. Nick offers me a look of comfort when he sees the position I'm in and he pushes a strand of hair behind my ear before our lips meet briefly and I feel that sudden spark like it happened when we first met. Then I hear Matt's angry footsteps, hands pulling me back and Matt rights me when I threaten to topple over.

"You are a one-man relationship wrecking crew!" Matt screams at Nick.

"And you're a little whiney man-bitch that doesn't get what he wants!" Nick yells back and I glare at them, dragging Matt back from beating Nick halfway to death.

I pull Matt outside onto the front porch, doing my best to stay from the rain. "Have you lost your mind, Matthew!?"

"No, I haven't! Wouldn't you be mad if I was kissing one of the girls?!" Matt says, yelling.

"Matt, it's a game of truth or dare! That kiss meant NOTHING!" I say and with that, the yelling stops and Matt looks at me with pain filled eyes. He steps towards me, but I just shake my head, walking inside again and sit beside of Faye. Diana looks over at me and then I make a sudden movement, running into another room to try and cool down… I rest in an arm chair, looking around the room silently and look at pictures. There are pictures of Henry Chamberlain and what I think is Faye as a little girl and I think of how unlikely it was that Faye was a good child.

"Cassie, are you okay?" Matt asks. "I know what I just did was...stupid."

I look back at him, biting my lower lip and Matt slides into the chair beside of me, wrapping his arms around me. "You're so beautiful," Matt says, stroking my hair gently and I give a small smile to him. "C'mon, talk to me, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry, Matt," I mutter and he shakes her head.

"Oh God no, Cassie; don't be sorry for what I just did. I've gotta realize that it was a game of Truth or Dare…and I have to remember than you didn't want your head shaved," he says, tickling my sides and I laugh, leaning against him. "So no hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," I say and Matt kisses me, combing his fingers though my hair.

I pull back, allowing another kiss to be placed on my lips before I stand up, walking back into the living room to see that Faye is nowhere to be found and I cock my eyebrows, seeing that Nick and Diana have promptly fallen asleep.

"I'll go find Faye, Matt. Please stay here," I murmur and Matt nods, releasing me reluctantly.

I run out into the rain, hearing Faye's loud voice and I run outside to see that she's yelling random things towards a small figure…a little girl.

"Who are you?!" Faye calls, looking at the little girl in the rain coat. "Where's your parents."

I run beside of her, watching as she loses herself until I'm plagued with images of the small version of Faye in those pictures. The yellow rain coat and then the red boots…

"Cassie, I think that the little girl is me," Faye says.

"But what were you doing out here?" I ask, looking over at her.

"I was wearing that the day I almost had drown in the lake…my grandfather had saved me…" Faye says. "The lake…"

That's when Matt, Nick, and Diana come running out, looking at us and they all look towards the little girl that is Faye. We all have riled up emotions and then Faye just makes Diana and me follow her… Both of us scatter towards the lake along with Faye, Nick and Matt in tow as we become drenched in rain. Faye is already freaking out, talking crazy stuff and I feel something…out of place. Like it isn't supposed to be there. I walk to the edge of the dock, bending down on my knees and I place my hands in the water without much through because of that little girl beside of me. The water starts bubbling and then I'm pulled under the water. I thrash around, thinking of the never ending darkness I could be pulled into and my leg catches on something. I pull on it hard and it dislodges…and I see the dead body of Henry Chamberlain in the water. I let out a scream and hands pull me up from the water and I can hear myself cry my head off.

"Cassie! What is it?! Oh my God!" Nick cries as he pulls me up. "Somebody go back to the lake house and call 911!"

Nick drops down with me to the ground under a tree and Matt comes running towards me and Nick untangles me as I let out sobs into Matt's shoulder and he hushes me as I cough, water still pouring from my mouth as he holds me up.

"It's okay, Cassie…you're okay, shh," Matt says as he runs his fingers through my wet hair.

"Matt, please take me back to the lake house…" I sob, clinging to him. "Please."

He nods, running back with Nick to the lake house, holding me close to him as I shiver into his body. Oh God…how many more dead bodies would I have to see? Nick quietly sits me down on the couch, hushing me as I continue to couch and sputter at the air that refuses to cling to my throat.

"Cassie, you're okay," Matt says, getting on his knees in front of me. "Breathe."

The thought of it just scares me to death…drowning like Adam had done and also the face that I didn't want to see any more dead bodies lingering around here. I give him a shaky smile and Matt wraps his arms around me, placing a kiss to my forehead gently and then clothing sails our way from upstairs.

"You better be lucky those were here," Diana says and then takes me from Matt. "You go somewhere else, now; she's my responsibility."

I smile at Matt gently and he presses a kiss to my lips before releasing me to Diana and we walk upstairs into the bedroom to talk with Faye who has become a mess. Faye leaps into our arms and we all end up in the same bed half-asleep until Nick and Matt wakes us up.

"C'mon, the police and Faye's mother are here," Matt says and he pulls me up, righting me on my feet.

I lean against him for support as we walk downstairs, my body really too tired to function as he pulls me outside towards the docks. Police are there and the paramedics are putting Henry in a body bag and I cringe at that. Silently we approach them and then it turned into a long explanation of how we were out here. The story ended up being that we all were out here goofing around and Nick pushed me into the water and Henry's body was there under me and it hit the surface…and they bought it. So then Faye's mother ran up to her and Faye was crying like a two year old.

Matt points over towards Nick and then I nod. "I said I'd take Diana home; I'll be at your house to make sure you're okay."

I nod quietly and then Nick walks over to me, pulling me into his arms and I hug him close to my body. "C'mon, let's get you home." Matt squeezes my hand a final time before he lets go, allowing me to go with Nick and I see Nick's truck in the driveway and I cock my eyebrows.

"Don't ask how it got here," he says teasingly.

I smile up at him and he helps me into the passenger's side of the truck and then he climbs in, turning on the heater when my teeth begin to chatter a bit too much for my own good. Nick wraps his free arm around me and I wrap both arms around his torso, leaning against him.

"Are you that cold?" he asks and I nod a little bit.

"Nick, I'm sorry about everything," I whisper and he looks down at me and then to the road again.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Cassie; what could it be?" Nick says.

"Because of the hell I'm putting you through… I know you don't like it when I'm with Matt," I mumble, my voice groggy with sleep.

"Listen to me, I'm just happy that you are, okay? No matter how angry I look, I'm happy for you," Nick replies.

I smile at him gently before I doze off into sleep, safe in Nick's arms where the nightmares don't plague me.

…

Nick wakes me up and I jump, hitting my head on the roof of the car and he chuckles. "You're home, Sleeping Beauty."I eye him and he helps me from the car, walking me to the door. He smiles gently, hugging me close to his body. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I smile at him. "Okay," I murmur and then let go of him, walking inside. I see my grandmother sitting on the couch, reading over a book and I sigh with relief. "Grandma, are you okay?"

She looks up at me and then I could tell something was wrong…but I didn't know what it was. "Yes I am, Cassie. Where have you been? It's late and a school night…"

"I was looking for you at Henry Chamberlain's house…you said you were there."

She gives me a look and then shakes her head. "No I wasn't. I've been right here all day…"

That's when I knew something wasn't right with her…


End file.
